IDEAS FOR MEANINGFUL ACTIVITIES FOR PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA

While there’s nothing wrong with bingo as an activity, there are many reasons to think creatively when it comes to activities for those with Alzheimer’s disease and other kinds of dementia.

One of the keys is that the activity should be meaningful for the person. Often, meaning is tied to past occupation or hobbies, so what’s meaningful for one person might not be so for another.

Whether you’re caring for a loved one in your own home or for a patient at a facility, consider the person’s interests, occupation and passions. If you work in a facility and don’t know the person’s history, ask their family members or observe their reaction to different activities. Then, choose a few activities they've responded well to and note the areas of interest. Here are a few types of people and corresponding activities to consider.

1.  The Homemaker

For those individuals who primarily took care of a home, you might offer a cloth to dust dressers or handrails, or to wash the table. They might enjoy folding a basket of washcloths and towels, or the task of setting the table. The object here is not to have the individual do large amounts of work, but rather to give the person something familiar and meaningful to do.

Just a note here. If you’re using this idea in a facility, you may want to ask the physician for an order that allows therapeutic work and receive permission from the family as well.

2.  The Fix It Individual

Was your loved one the fixer, the handyman, or the go-to guy? Maybe he’d like to sort through and match up nuts and bolts, or tighten screws into pieces of wood. Perhaps he’d like to connect smaller PVC pipes together. There are also activity boards with lots of “to do” things attached that you can purchase.

3.  The Mechanic

If his passion is cars, maybe he’d enjoy looking at pictures of old cars or tinkering with smaller engine parts. Some towns hold car events where older cars are displayed or driven down a road; if yours does, consider bringing him to that event. He also may be able to help you wash the car.

4.  The Pencil Pusher

For the person who sat at a desk and worked with papers, pens and pencils, she might love having a pile of papers to file, an adding machine or calculator to use, forms to complete or documents to read. Some people might like carrying a notebook and pen around to write down information.

5.  The Musician

If music is her thing, offer her opportunities to use this gift. People in the early to mid-stages of Alzheimer’s may be able to sing in a choir or play the piano. I know one woman with dementia whose leads a sing-along almost daily because of her musical gifts. She’ll even take requests for which songs to play, and despite her poor memory, plays songs almost faultlessly.

If he enjoys listening to music rather than performing it, make recordings of his favorite songs and play them for him.

6.  The Parent / Caregiver

Have you ever noticed how people with dementia often brighten up and take note when babies and children are around?   A child can often get a response when adults fail. Interactions with children and babies have been a normal part of many people’s lives. Sometimes when a person is living in a facility with other people of similar age or living at home and not getting out often, they no longer interact regularly with kids. Create opportunities for interaction with kids, whether that’s arranging for a visiting time, going on a walk together or bringing by your new baby to a facility near you.

Some older adults, particularly women, may also enjoy holding and caring for a baby doll. Often, the person connects with that baby doll and enjoys the sense of a familiar role in caregiving for the doll.

7.  The Animal Lover

If your family member loves pets, consider having him walk the dog with you or brush the dog’s hair. If he’s not able to do these things, he might enjoy having a bird or two in a cage or a fish aquarium to watch.

In the middle to late stages of Alzheimer’s, some people are comforted by holding a stuffed kitten or puppy. I’ve often observed them stroking the fur and holding it close.

8.  The Gardener

Is she an accomplished gardener? Provide her with a place to plant seeds, water them and watch them grow. She might also enjoy flower arranging or harvesting and preparing vegetables.

9.  The Puzzler

Although people with dementia typically have impaired memories, some of them are still quite capable of doing crossword puzzles, word searches and jumbles. Others might enjoy simple jigsaw puzzles as well. Have some different puzzle opportunities sitting out for your loved one to do.

10.  The Engineer

If he collected trains growing up, or is simply fascinated by them, consider setting up an electric train so he can help arrange the tracks or simply watch the activity. You can also gather a book collection or movies about trains.

11.  The Sports Fan

Provide the avid sports lover the chance to mini put, do WI bowling, play the beanbag tossing game or watch a Little League baseball game. You can also arrange for several people to get together to watch the big game on television and eat some junk food, or, I mean healthy alternatives. Or, perhaps he’d get a kick out of sorting through and organizing baseball cards.

12.  The Artist

Art provides a creative outlet to make something, so it provides a purpose and a task. Gather some non-toxic clay, watercolor paints, washable markers, colored pens or pencils, and paper. You can use these materials in a directed way (i.e. “Here’s some clay for you. Today let’s try to make a flower vase” or a non-directed way (“There’s art supplies laid out on the table. Feel free to choose any color of paint to get started.” Clay and paint are great for tactile stimulation and they provide a way to occupy and strengthen the hands as well.

13.  The Faithful

Don’t neglect this important area. For many people, as they age, the importance of spiritual nurturing increases. Offer them books of faith in keeping with their tradition, times of prayer or meditation, or singing together.

(Source:  about.com, Alzheimer’s/Dementia)

iPods Can Help People With Alzheimer's Remember

It's a diagnosis that we dread, both for our loved ones and ourselves: Alzheimer's disease. Although at first glance, it may seem that the disease has robbed a person of their sense of self, this is not always the case. Not all people with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia entirely lose their sense of self. The feelings, emotions and memories of experiences that make them who they are may still reside inside of them. It's their ability to access this sense of self that now becomes the challenge.

Scientists at research organizations, such as the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function (IMNF), have been studying the effects of music on the human condition for more than 30 years. And results have been promising. Now, technology is playing a key role in helping people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia reconnect to their memories and their loved ones, if only for immediate and short periods of time.

As MP3 players such as the iPod have become more mainstream, they are being used as part of music therapy. A new program, called "Well-Tuned: Music Players for Health," is helping people who suffer from Alzheimer's disease ... and it is music to caregivers' ears.

Professionals from IMNF will work with caregivers to develop a play list of music that is emotionally significant to the person with dementia. The play list is customized based on the elder's life experiences, cultural backgrounds and frame of reference. As with lovers who grow sentimental when "their song" is played on the radio, the right music stimulates the personal associations that it is connected with, sparking memory and renewed "presence." It is best to select music that is familiar, enjoyable and meaningful to the elder with dementia.

How iPod music helps Alzheimer's patients with memory

Caregivers can also enhance the impact of the music with meaningful photos of family, friends or by telling family stories and talking about past events. Often, the music can spark memories that were thought to be long gone, or stimulate recognition of a loved one that moments earlier was no more than a blank face. Music may also help a person with dementia transition more easily throughout the day. Playing lively, upbeat music can be used as a stimulus to help motivate an elder to take a walk or participate in an activity. Alternatively, slower, more calming music will help relax an elder when they are agitated or help them wind down as bedtime approaches. The science behind music therapy has to do with the emotional connections we make to music throughout our life and where in the brain those connections live. Music stimulates the areas of the brain that are involved in emotion, association and long-term memory processes for people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. As a result, musical selections that are linked to emotions and personal experiences can unlock memories and associations. Senior residential facilities, adult day care centers, and assisted living centers are now using music therapy as part of the residents' routine. For caregivers, seeing the light of recognition in a loved one's eyes is priceless.

(Source: By Dr. Concetta M. Tomaino, Agingcare.com)

How to Plan Meaningful Activities for Someone with Alzheimer's

A multitude of research studies have come out over the years, touting the benefits of keeping seniors with memory disorders physically and mentally active. But, coming up with activities to keep a person with Alzheimer's busy and engaged with life can be a tricky task for a caregiver.

There are a few things that you should keep in mind when considering various pastimes: First, as your loved one begins to forget who they are, it's all the more important that you remember, and try to present them with meaningful activities that echo their previous interests and talents.

It's also important to remember that, for many people with Alzheimer's and other memory-altering diseases, their desire to accomplish things doesn't vanish. Activities that can give an elderly loved one a sense of accomplishment may help stave off anxiety and depression.

Here are a few examples of easily-modifiable activities that may be good for seniors with Alzheimer's:

1. Stick to Simple Pleasures-Keeping things simple and straightforward is often the best course of action when coming up with activities for people with Alzheimer's. Going to a local park to feed the birds and fish is an easy task that may be very fun for a person with Alzheimer's. You can also take turns reading a favorite book aloud. This can be an easy way to encourage a senior to exercise their mind while giving them the pleasure of reading a beloved book.

2. Listen to Music-Research has shown that listening to music can help a person with Alzheimer's remember events, people, and places from their past. Additionally, music can be a way to get a senior moving through dance or song.

3. Cook and Clean-You can turn mundane, daily tasks into activities that a person with Alzheimer's can help with. Even if they just help with measuring ingredients, having a senior help you cook a family recipe can be a fun way for both of you to spend some time together. An elderly loved one might also be able to help you do things around the house like dusting or folding laundry.

4. Work Up A Sweat-Exercise provides countess benefits to all seniors, regardless of whether or not they have Alzheimer's. Workouts can consist of everything from talking a walk around the block to taking a yoga-for-seniors class.

5. Play A Game-While you probably don't want to start a game of Risk with your elderly loved one, it's possible to make an entertaining, personal game out of things lying around the house. Sorting through old family photos is a good way to help an elderly loved one remember special events and people from their past. You can even turn a routine trip to the grocery store into a scavenger hunt where you and your loved one search for particular items on a list.

6. Volunteer-Devoting time to helping other people can provide immense satisfaction to both you and your elderly loved one. Volunteering can involve something as simple as collecting things like school supplies, toys, canned goods, etc., and taking them to a local shelter or food bank. Seniors who can't leave the house could help by sorting, wrapping, or taking inventory of collected goods.

These activities will require varying levels of patience on the part of the caregiver. A loved one with Alzheimer's will not be able to perform tasks perfectly, if at all, and seniors are likely to get frustrated is an activity is too difficult. It will take constant trial and error to create and modify activities to meet an elder's shifting capabilities.

The Community for Family Caregivers is an online forum created to Support Caregivers of Elderly and Aging Parents. The material of this web site is provided for informational purposes only. AgingCare.com does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment; or legal, financial or any other professional services advice.

(Source: By Anne-Marie Botek, 14 December 2011, Agingcare.com)

Fighting Memory Loss With iPads

Alzheimer's Disease Association (Singapore) Uses iPad to help battle memory loss won S$15,000 in Creativity Contest Among Welfare Organizations in Singapore.

MADAM Heng Kim Tow, a 97-year-old patient with Alzheimer's disease, has taken to using the iPad like a duck to water. She views the photographs of her family on the tablet computer, putting her back in touch with the people and events in her life, and plays an eye-hand coordination game of balancing a virtual egg on the screen of the device.

The iPad is not hers. It belongs to the Alzheimer's Disease Association (Singapore), which is using the device to slow down the deterioration of the illness among the senior citizens in its day-care centres.

Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behaviour. The symptoms usually set in slowly and worsen over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks.

The association's consultant occupational therapist Lim Hwee Er, 39, stumbled accidentally on the usefulness of the iPad in reaching out to Alzheimer's at the New Horizon Centre in Toa Payoh and saw a new responsiveness in her. In quick order, two iPads were bought for the use of the senior citizens there.

Ms Lim said the money S$15,000 recently won in a competition to reward creativity among voluntary welfare organisations will go towards buying more iPads for its four day-care centres.

The other organisation which won $15,000 in the competition organised by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) was the Lions Befrienders Service Association, for encouraging lonely elderly to become befrienders and to set up their own social networks.

Representatives of the two agencies received their prizes from Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Chan Chun Sing in a ceremony that was a part of the NCSS Members Conference held at the Concorde Hotel.

In his speech to the 550 conference participants, Mr Chan said that as the population ages and as Singaporeans become more well-informed, the social service sector here must keep pace with the changes and evolve to meet increasingly complex demands. He encouraged the sector to experiment with new service models and adapt from best practices elsewhere. He also called on the sector to lay out a robust safety net so no one falls through the cracks, and to develop social service professionals.

Speaking to reporters later, he said that as challenges become more diverse, a "one-size-fits-all" model will not work for social service any more. This would encourage people in the sector to think creatively about how to get better bang for their buck and to be more productive, he added.

(Source: www.alz.org.sg)