Make an Activity Book for Loved ones with Alzheimers

My continuing education course at Salem State College was canceled due to low enrollment. I was looking forward to sharing activity ideas with caregivers. The best activity I made for my mother was an activity book because during the early stages of the disease, when she could still read she loved flipping through the pages of a book all about her life. It included:

• The Story of Sarah Smith made with scanned pictures from her early life and more digital pictures put together to tell the simple highlights of her life.
• Large print songs to sing over and over again
• Simple pictures with captions or brief description
• Nursery rhymes
• Ben Franklyn Adages
• Descriptions of her favorite recipes and foods
• Yiddish words

Creating an individualized, meaningful book such as this for a loved one may be the most appreciated holiday gift for a loved one with memory impairment.

ArtistsFor Alzheimers

There was a presentation at the recent Alzheimer's Partnership Conference I went to in Peabody, Mass-by Artists for Alzheimers - an organization that promotes art, music and theater to help victims of Alzheimer's. The concept is fascinating although I don't understand how anybody can say that abilities to enjoy the arts does not diminish. My mother absolutely lost the ability to understand what she was seeing and spent more and more time with her eyes closed. The circus would have terrified her as did the costumed door man at the Magic Show. However, music remained powerful and much appreciated up until the end.
John Zeisel the president of Hearthstone Alzheimer Care developed the Artists for Alzheimer’s™ program, which involves guided museum tours for people with the disease. Check out his blog with a video demonstration of how a troupe of actors interact and stimulate the residents: I'm Still Here
I think that it is wonderful that the residents are receiving this great stimulation but does it really take professional actors, trained museum guides, etc.? I have found that people in institutions simply crave attention, interaction, the human touch and often times looking at family photos, hearing familiar songs from their youth and being amongst lively people is all that they need to come alive. However, I ordered Dr. Zeisel's book to check out.

Barbara

The Driving Dilemma

I enjoyed the Alzheimer's Partnership conference yesterday. Elizabeth Dugan, author of The Driving Dilemma shared some very scary photographs of accidents caused by elders and discussed the types of assessments available to determine driver safety. Testing assesses the person's vision, cognitive and mobility abilities needed to quickly respond to driving demands. States greatly vary in regulations related to who is responsible to report a dangerous driver.
My own mother's doctor reported her early stage Alzheimers to the Dept. of Motor Vehicles. They suspended her license but that didn't stop her from driving. I called the police near her home in Connecticut and they wouldn't do anything unless she was caught in the act of driving. The transition between respecting the person's rights and taking them away is the most emotionally wrenching stage of the disease. Fortunately, after my husband disabled her car, she forgot about the whole issue and my sister moved it to her own back yard. Technically- did my sister steal? Good material for an ethics class.


Resources:
The Driving Dilemma
Caring and Driving
SeniorDrivers.org
ITN America(transportation alternatives)
thehartford.com/alzheimers/
Driver Rehabilitation Specialists

Multi-Sensory Rooms

I used to bring clients with developmental disabilities into a multi-sensory room such as this when I worked at Hogan Regional Center in Danvers, Massachusetts. I think they can also be helpful for patients in the later stages of dementia who get agitated and need to relax. However, therapists need to think about whether the patients may or may not benefit more from social and movement activities that are familiar, feel purposeful and expend energy. Also, sitting in this room may just put patients to sleep, something they already get plenty of in an institutional setting.

93 year old mom helps little old lady cross the road

I love this "mom" story-
http://otinpublicschools.blogspot.com/2009/02/its-still-christmas-at-my-house.html

Barbara
BarbaraSmithOccupationalTherapist.com

Activities for a Healthy Brain

Will keeping this blog keep my brain healthy? Watch this video about activities to keep your brain young.

Northshore Alzheimer's Partnership Conference

I hope to attend this conference given by Norshore Alzheimer's Partnership in Peabody, Massachusetts on November 7, 2009. I think the lecture about driving and the elderly sounds very interesting. I will be sharing what I learn.....
BarbaraSmithOccupationalTherapist.com