A Great book Review!

I appreciate this book review!
http://springarborliving.com/_blog/Spring_Arbor_Living_Blog/post/Another_Quality_Book_Still_Giving_Kisses/

Unlock the Memories

Check out the Unlock the Memories DVD's that use music, photographs, narration and graphics to help individuals with memory loss reminisce-generating discussion topics for activity directors and families.

Low Vision Occupational Therapy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmWC0Zewqcs

Interesting Products for Patients with Dementi

I think that these look like pretty useful and good quality products for stimulating individuals with memory loss.......
 http://www.mind-start.com/products.htm

If Disney Ran Your Hospital

Occupational therapist, Iris Kimberg discusses how all health care administrators and providers should improve hospital stays by fostering the best behavior in staff and best emotional experience for patients. She recommends learning how by reading "If Disney Ran Your Hospital: 9 1/2 things You Would Do Differently" by Fred Lee. One premise of the book is that quality service- a pillar of the Disney experience can apply to a hospital setting. Read more at: http://occupational-therapy.advanceweb.com/Archives/Article-Archives/If-Disney-Ran-Your-Hospital.aspx

This is priceless....

Re-creative Resources

Check out this resource site for activity professionals:
Re-creative Resources
They provide training, books, forms, articles, activity ideas and job listings for activity professionals who work with the geriatric population.

Choosing Nursing Home Care

I look forward to speaking ata low vision support group at the Wenham Council on Aging on Monday.

The Effects Of Macular Degeneration | LIVESTRONG.COM

The Effects Of Macular Degeneration. Macular degeneration MD causes deterioration of central vision. There are two types of macular degeneration: wet and dry. Vision loss may be gradual with the dry form of age-rela...

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Living Life to Its fullest

The American Occupational Therapist Association has just published a collection of essays including mine where  I share a bit about my experience helping my mother during her time with Alzheimer's disease while as the same time being a mother to an adolescent with a disability .
http://www1.aota.org/shop_aota/prodview.aspx?TYPE=D&PID=980&SKU=1254 

Eye Diseases That Cause You To Lose Peripheral Vision | LIVESTRONG.COM

"These are eye diseases that affect people of all ages. But during the work I do as a low vision occupational therapist I primarily see older people.
GeriatricOT.com"

Eye Diseases That Cause You To Lose Peripheral Vision. Peripheral vision is the part of the visual field used when looking out of the side of the eye. Eye diseases that destroy peripheral vision include glaucoma, which usually affects...

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Products For The Vision Impaired | LIVESTRONG.COM

"Here are the products I frequently demonstrate during low vision occupational therapy home visits..... "

Products For The Vision Impaired. Products for the visually impaired can make a huge difference in the life of someone with mild or severe vision loss. Some products, such as weak magnifiers and special lamps, are...

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Assisted Living Directory

Here's a helpful directory I came across if one needs info on assisted living facilities. Scroll down a ways and you will find some great resource links on topics related to alzheimers. http://www.assisted-living-directory.com/
As an OT most interested in activities- I liked this one about memory boxes the best! http://www.assisted-living-directory.com/content/memory-boxes.cfm

Alzheimer's Association Conference

My presentation at the Massachusetts Alzheimer's Association conference went very well. My topic was on adapting the home and activities for patients with AD.  There were 14 presentations at each of the three sessions, so there were a LOT of people there, mostly health care professionals.
I really enjoyed hearing Claire McClain, an activities director at Cooperative Elder Services describe some of the creative activities that she does with her residents. I also learned a  new trick - using Gold Fish as bingo markers just in case they get eaten (actually an attendee told me about that one).
I learned how to make your own puzzles by finding a meaningful picture, gluing it to colored paper, cutting out the pieces and then covering them with clear contact paper or laminating them. If all the pieces to one puzzle have the same color paper on the bottom it will be easy to keep them together in a set.
I liked the magazine picture scavenger hunt and poetry created by writing a person's name in a vertical column and then coming up with adjectives to describe that person using words that begin with the letters in the name. But my favorite activity was making sand art by rolling sidewalk chalk over salt in order to create inexpensive colorful "sand". Then the sand art bottles are made the usual way.

The Recycling Occupational Therapist is now on Facebook

What Causes Frontotemporal Dementia? | LIVESTRONG.COM

What Causes Frontotemporal Dementia?. Frontotemporal Lobe Dementia FTD dementia is progressive and relatively rare form of dementia that afflicts people who are typically younger than age 65 years. This disease affec...

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Dental Care and the Elderly

Occupational therapist Clarissa F. Smith wrote a very interesting article in the Advance for Occupational Therapists magazine- Poor Dental Care .
Occupational therapists can play a role in helping patients attain the oral hygiene that can save lives. It is so sad and weird that Medicare paid a Reiki practitioner (wihout my approval) to wave her hands around my mother when she was in the late stages of Alzheimers (and had her eyes closed), yet does not pay for dental care that saves lives and helps seniors to keep their teeth longer to chew and speak.
Visit her web site at: Caregivingdoctor.com

Good50.com search engine

I came across this search engine designed for people with low vision. It is very user friendly.

Fall Prevention at Brooksby Village

I totally enjoyed the Salem State College Occupational Therapy Student Conference this morning. Alison Fialho, OTR/L spoke about fall prevention at the retirement facility Brooksby Village in Peabody, Massachusetts. They provide all levels of care for residents with abilities ranging from independent to requiring skilled nursing care. The program stressed fall prevention by promoting balance and flexibility through Tai Chi classes. A group of residents demonstrated what they learned over the past 2 years-moving or standing to answer questions for over 30 minutes-a feat that would wear out most of us. The second part of this program demonstrated Ai Chi-basically Tai Chi in the water . Allison is in my Toastmaster's club and did us proud with almost no ahs or ums and a very skillful presentation.

Types Of Dementia For Patients | LIVESTRONG.COM

Types Of Dementia For Patients. Dementia involves loss of cognitive abilities. All forms of dementia entail progressive memory loss and confusion that impacts abilities to perform daily activities, communicate an...

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Caring Crafts

Here are a couple of clever crafts for seniors by Judith Zausner at CaringCrafts.com This video shows her on a Philadelphia based television program called Seeking Solutions with Suzanne

Gail Sheehy's new Caregiving Book

I look forward to reading Gail sheehy's new book on caregiving due out in May. I grew up reading her best seller Passages. Check out the video interviews on her AARP page:
http://www.aarp.org/family/caregiving/gail_sheehy/

Adaptive Equipment For Dementia Patients | LIVESTRONG.COM

Adaptive Equipment For Dementia Patients. Adaptive equipment designed to help individuals with decreased mobility, balance, motor control or vision loss often helps the dementia patient. Other types of adaptive equipment a...

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What Are The Treatments For Macular Degeneration? | LIVESTRONG.COM

What Are The Treatments For Macular Degeneration?. Age-related macular degeneration ARMD is a progressive disease that causes loss of central vision. The dry form causes blurriness that may be mild or severe. During the wet form...

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What Are Treatments For Alzheimer's Disease? | LIVESTRONG.COM

What Are Treatments For Alzheimer's Disease?. Alzheimers disease is the most common form of dementia--characterized by increasing memory loss, confusion, disorientation, poor judgment, and ultimately the inability to perform...

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Eye Exercises For Macular Degeneration | LIVESTRONG.COM

Eye Exercises For Macular Degeneration. Macular degeneration causes progressive damage to the central macula--the part of the retina responsible for seeing color and acute vision. The peripheral parts of the retina enabl...

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Preventing Alzheimers

I was watching the psychiatrist Daniel Amen speak while I did my morning treadmill walk- he's a pretty good public speaker on public TV and I like learning the latest about the brain and study public speaking styles. I ordered the book below that he wrote with another doctor to check out. I don't think Dr. Amen's lectures or books will tell me a whole lot more than I already know about heart and brain healthy diets, exercise, not smoking etc. but I like having reminders ( I indulge in too much coffee and chocolate).

Brain Games To Avoid With Alzheimer's | LIVESTRONG.COM

Brain Games To Avoid With Alzheimer's. Early symptoms of Alzheimers disease include short-term memory loss and difficulty in finding the right words when speaking. Individuals with Alzheimers tend to retain memory of...

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Common Causes Of Glaucoma | LIVESTRONG.COM

Common Causes Of Glaucoma. Glaucoma is a disease that causes loss of peripheral vision due to damage to the retina and optic nerve. Severe glaucoma results in what is called tunnel vision because the remai...

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Describing Symptoms Of Glaucoma | LIVESTRONG.COM

Describing Symptoms Of Glaucoma. Glaucoma causes loss of peripheral vision due to damage to the retina and optic nerve. Risk factors include being over 60 years of age, having a family history of glaucoma and bein...

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What Are The Treatments For Dry Macular Degeneration? | LIVESTRONG.COM

What Are The Treatments For Dry Macular Degeneration?. Macular degeneration is a disease that primarily affects older people and causes loss of central vision. The macula is in the center of the retina, which is the light-sensitive par...

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How to Enjoy Visiting a Loved One who has Alzheimer’s Disease

A Different Light

A Different Light
An interesting perspective on lighting. As a low vision occupational therapist-I always think about lighting to increase function but not in terms of promoting a normal sleep cycle. I like the suggestions on ways to make the home or institution conducive to waking up peppy, winding down at night and getting a good night's sleep.

BarbaraSmithOccupationalTherapist.com

Devices To See With When You Have Macular Degeneration | LIVESTRONG.COM

Devices To See With When You Have Macular Degeneration. As macular degeneration progresses, central vision worsens, causing blurriness and sometimes a blind spot called a scotoma. The patient may already own bifocals prescribed to imp...

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Symptoms of Late Stage Dementia
OK, this article is a bit depressing, but I think its good for family members and friends of people with alzheimers to know what to expect.
BarbaraSmithOccupationalTherapist.com

Occupational Therapy for the Elderly

Occupational Therapy for The Elderly

Dementia Safety in Your Loved One's Home

Check out my first article for the site: AllSeniorHomes.com
This article is called: Dementia Safety in Your Loved One's Home. I have to say that I really find their site comprehensive and well-organized; but then I am biased since I hope to write more articles for them.

OT Practice is now online

I have discovered that the American Occupational Therapy Association's magazine OT Practice is now on-line at OT Practice.
Don't let the current issue with a cover photo of a baby scare you. There are usually articles relevant to geriatrics and eldercare.

Yoga and Seniors

I think I may have mentioned this yoga book written by occupational therapist Peggy Gardner, especially for seniors. Here is her new website: Yoga and Seniors

Health Care Reform Proposal

I gave a speech last week at my toastmaster's meeting about the Health Care Reform proposal to pay doctors every five years for one hour of consultation around end of life issues such as "advanced directives", services provided by Hospice and what a health care proxy is. This service is completely voluntary and all decisions are made by the patient. I had a very positive experience with hospice when my mother was dying. This proposal has been misconstrued by special interests as something they call "death panels".
I guess this is a hot button issue and some people are convinced that health care reform automatically implies long waits, limited care and people dying. One woman in my club thought the so called "death panels" were related to Nazi death camps. Another member said that we would have to wait 6 months to get an MRI. Does that imply that the MRI machines will suddenly lie idle growing moss? A friend of mine pointed out that if all the people who currently do not get health care were suddenly getting it- then we would all be in competition to use those MRI machines and see specialists. OK- that's an explanation I never considered. Food for thought about how Americans might feel about each other.

Diabetes Effects On Vision | LIVESTRONG.COM

Diabetes Effects On Vision. Due to the impact of abnormal glucose levels, diabetics are at risk for developing a variety of vision-related diseases. One major disease is called diabetic retinopathy because i...

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Card Games for Patients with Memory Loss

I came across this article while doing a bit of research and I liked these card games to play with people in the early to mid stages of memory loss. I like the author's enthusiasm and the games sound like they would help people reminisce, socially connect- as well as have a good time. However, I do not think they would be helpful for people in the late stages of dementia.
check them out: Memory Card Games for Alzheimer's and Dementia Patients.

BarbaraSmithOccupationalTherapist.com

Rheumatoid Arthritis Characteristics | LIVESTRONG.COM

Rheumatoid Arthritis Characteristics. Rheumatoid arthritis RA causes joint inflammation and deformity that make it difficult to perform daily activities. Diagnosis is made when X-rays show cartilage destruction and b...

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Stimulating Dog in Nursing Home

Animal Therapy in nursing home-very touching and therapeutic.