Planning Activities for Loved Ones with Dementia

Photo from here

   

Planning and doing activities with a loved one who has dementia can provide meaning and encouragement to both the memory-impaired individual and his/her caregiver. Finding activities that are well-suited for your loved one can be challenging but it is rewarding when you have a positive experience. The Alzheimer's Association has provided tips and guidelines in their online brochure, "Activities at Home." You can read the whole brochure by following this link.

Some helpful information that has been pulled from this brochure includes:

 

Effective activities:

• Bring meaning, purpose, joy and hope to the

person’s life

• Use the person’s skills and abilities

• Give the person a sense of normalcy

• Involve family and friends

• Are dignified and appropriate for adults

• Are enjoyable

10 quick tips for activities at home

1. Be flexible and patient
2. Encourage involvement in daily life
3. Avoid correcting the person
4. Help the person remain as independent as possible
5. Offer opportunities for choice
6. Simplify instructions
7. Establish a familiar routine
8. Respond to the person’s feelings
9. Simplify, structure and supervise
10. Provide encouragement and praise

Minimizing Risks to Alzheimers

I read an interesting article exposing factors that we may be able to influence to minimize our risks of Alzheimer's disease; the complete article was published at: http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_causes_risk_factors.asp#whatyoucando 
The first suggestion is to protect your head from head trauma: "There may be a strong link between serious head injury and future risk of Alzheimer’s, especially when trauma occurs repeatedly or involves loss of consciousness. Protect your brain by buckling your seat belt, wearing your helmet when participating in sports, and “fall-proofing” your home."

The second suggestion is to take care of your heart: "Growing evidence links brain health to heart health...The risk of developing Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia appears to be increased by many conditions that damage the heart or blood vessels. These include high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and high cholesterol."

The third suggestion offered is to take care of your body: "Other lines of evidence suggest that strategies for overall healthy aging may help keep your brain as well as your body fit. These strategies may even offer some protection against developing Alzheimer’s or related disorders. Try to keep your weight within recommended guidelines, avoid tobacco and excess alcohol, stay socially connected, and exercise both your body and mind."

So, let's break it down. Here are some practical steps we can take that may help us minimize our risks of Alzheimers.

1. Protect your head from trauma.
2. Eat healthy to protect your heart and avoid foods high in cholesterol and fat. Instead eat foods rich with antioxidant levels; like: spinach, raisins, blueberries, brussels sprouts, broccoli, blackberries, beets, red bell peppers, prunes, cherries, oranges, or corn. You might also try to take in more fish, like: halibut, salmon,or tuna. Nuts can be beneficial too: try eating more almonds, pecans, or walnuts. (For a fuller list, read: http://www.alz.org/we_can_help_adopt_a_brain_healthy_diet.asp)
3. Finally, as recommended above: "avoid tobacco and excess alcohol, stay socially connected, and exercise both your body and mind." Plan routine walks with friends or enjoy evening strolls with loved ones.

We can't always control our genetics or family history...but there are some things we can do that may help. Choose a few above and commit to embracing gradual life changes to help influence your overall health. Next week, we'll explore a little more about Parkinson's disease.

For more helpful hints on Alzheimers visit: http://www.alz.org

Bird Feeder Activity--by Katherine McPherson

It can be relaxing and enjoyable to observe nature. Bird watching is an activity that almost anyone can do. The following is a simple, affordable and effective way you and your loved one can make a bird feeder. Young family members would also enjoy doing this and learn about nature by doing so.

Materials for this project include:

• A large open pine cone
• Peanut butter
• String
• Birdseed
• Resealable plastic bag

To make the bird feeder:

• Spread peanut butter all over the pine cone.
• Put the bird seed in a resealable plastic bag and put the peanut butter-covered pine cone in the bag. Shake to cover with seed.
• Put the pine cone in the freezer for approximately 30 minutes to firm-up the peanut butter and make the next step more manageable.
• Tie a string around any part of the cone (I use the mid section) and secure the other end of the string to a tree branch, hook or other object in view.

Watch as birds find your feeder and enjoy the meal you left them. Identify what species of birds you have attracted and see if you seem to have any "regular visitors". Cornell has put together a great resource to identify common feeder birds. You can access their website by clicking here.

Hopefully today's post may help create moments of joy by spending time together and creating something that will inspire fun and conversation.

Become a Pen Pal--Katherine McPherson

A simple card can be a joy to send or receive

Becoming a pen pal can be a great activity for someone who is not as social as s/he used to be. Receiving a note from a friend can be uplifting, and a letter or card is especially touching in today's world of text messaging and email. Additionally, engaging with a pen pal will encourage your loved one to regularly think about someone else.Thinking about others has benefits that include decreased anti-social behavior and depression, and increased optimism and self-worth.  

Maybe a daughter, son, friend or cousin would be a good pen pal to the person whom you are caring for. Ideally, correspondence should be regular (weekly or bi-weekly is an ideal starting point) and reciprocal. Notes do not need to be elaborate, but rather just positive and thoughtful. Even sending a simple note card with a message such as "sending a hug and good thoughts your way" can bring benefits to the receiver. Other ideas for notes are:

• an article you read during the week
• a quote that inspired you
• a joke that made you smile
• a fun memory
• a bible verse that speaks to you
• a small paper craft like a heart chain or a snowflake
• a picture
• a recipe you recommend
• a cartoon

Depending on your loved one, making the card can also be enjoyable and especially fun to receive. All that is needed is some paper and imagination- you never know when inspiration will strike. Just remember to have fun and enjoy knowing you will be helping create a bright spot in another person's day :)

A Refreshing Drink--by Katherine McPherson

My favorite flavored water combination: orange and cucumber

Proper hydration is essential to all of us, but it is particularly important for someone who has impaired health. Encouraging your loved one to drink fluids is important, and water is nearly always the best choice. An idea that may help you and your loved one stay hydrated this summer is to make flavored waters. Flavored waters are a great way to meet your daily hydration needs without adding excessive calories, added sugars, artificial ingredients or caffeine. You may be surprised at how delicious and refreshing this simple mixture can be.

All you do is cut up fruit (oranges, lemon, lime, apples, strawberries, grapefruit and tangerines are all common choices), cucumbers or herbs (mint) and add them to a pitcher of water. You can use any of these additions alone or in combination. Keep the pitcher covered in the refrigerator for up to three days and just refill it as it becomes around half-way empty. Try using pretty cups that are not overly large (large cups can be intimidating to some) and adding a garnish (wedge of fruit) for visual appeal. Enjoy!

Enjoy New Moments...And Laugh!

"C-mon! Don't forget...it's OK to laugh." I encouraged my friend.

LIFE had gotten pretty serious. Caring for her mother (who suffered with Alzheimer) had taken its toll. She was grief stricken. Missing what "once was". Wanting memories to live in the present. But memories had long surpassed her mother's capabilities.

We've all experienced loss. Wished for things that were gone. Longed to go back to "the good ole days." But sometimes, the best choice we can make is to press on; enjoy new moments with our loved ones; and laugh.

So, today, think of something "NEW" you can do with your loved one, like:

1. Bake together.
2. Take a short walk.
3. Watch a funny movie.
4. Listen to a song.
5. Color!

Let go of "what was" and "embrace the moment."

In Ecclesiastes 3, Solomon wrote great words of wisdom, saying: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven...a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance...a time to embrace and a time to refrain...a time to keep and a time to throw away..." (NIV)
Today is a day for laughing, dancing, embracing, and knowing what to keep and what to throw away. So, enjoy new moments and remember to LAUGH a little!

10 Signs of Alzheimers

Years ago a dear friend of mine laughingly shared stories about her mother's ongoing memory loss. But (years later) as her mother's condition worsened, my friend became more and more concerned.

In the past we believed memory loss was just a normal part of the aging process; but, in recent years that myth has been exposed. Instead, memory loss can often be linked to a digressing disease called Alzheimer's. I wish my friend and I had known about this disease and its early symptoms.

According to the Alzheimer's Association, there are 10 signs of Alzheimer's .  (If you or a loved one begin to notice any of these symptoms, seek a doctor's medical advice.)


10 Signs of Alzheimer's:

(Information posted from (http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_10_signs_of_alzheimers.asp)

1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life
2. Challenges in planning or solving problems
3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure
4. Confusion with time or place
5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships
6. New problems with words in speaking or writing
7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
8. Decreased or poor judgment
9. Withdrawal from work or social activities
10. Changes in mood and personality

For a more in depth description on each of these 10 signs, visit: http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_10_signs_of_alzheimers.asp