I finished reading I'm Still Here by John Zeisel. I heard of this book and the Alzheimer's and Arts program he runs after attending a conference last month. I have mixed reactions because I don't agree with a lot of what he says in terms of people with Alzheimer's being more receptive to art because of their brain changes. Many people are not even interested in art. My mother in law couldn't have cared less but would have enjoyed stimulation related to farming and gardening. In fact, when we visited her we always put on a show watering plants and picking flowers to show her. Every individual responds to stimuli that is meaningful to them. A former tennis star may love batting a balloon around. My mother enjoyed our trips to the North Shore Music Theater until taking her to the bathroom was too difficult for me. Then we spent our time together singing and eventually me singing, her smiling.
I do think that Zeisel did a good job explaining how to set up the environment and behavioral techniques designed to prevent or reduce agitation.
Amazon Book Review
Here is the book. I'm happy to hear other opinions.
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