Everywhere you go…. One of the wonderful things about this time of the year is that it is steeped in all the essential elements that help stir and awaken the areas in our brains that have to do with memory. Songs. After my Mama was unable to carry on a conversation or even speak, she…
Tag: connection
Caregiver awards
I recently came across a study that provides one of those sparks of joy and reason to celebrate while caregiving.
More on: Neurobic exercises
In a previous post, ”Upside Down and Backwards”, I wrote about the benefits of Neurobic on brain function. According to SheKnows.com Neurobics is the science of brain exercise. Neurobic exercises in a nutshell are: Doing the ordinary things in new, surprising and unexpected ways. Break routines. Use your five physical senses as well as your emotional sense in…
“I’ll be me”, Glen Campbell’s Goodbye
“I am a lineman for the county, and I drive the main road.Searchin’ in the sun for another overload.I hear you singin’ in the wire,I can hear you through the whine, and the Wichita lineman is still on the line” If you began singing along while reading those words, then perhaps you were also one…
What a doll – Wait, is it Real?
I couldn’t believe my eyes. While I was at the care-home where my Mama lives, I noticed one of the residents in the hallway holding a tiny baby. What were they thinking? I quickly looked around for the baby’s mother. No one seemed to be paying any attention to her. Taking a closer look at…
Who are all these people?
Have you ever wondered what it felt like to experience dementia? Reunions are the perfect events for just that type of experience.
Try gathering together with a large group of folks you are supposed to know because you all graduated from the same school 40 years earlier. I must confess that I spent a great deal of time reading name tags—trying to fit the name with the face. There were a few people that I didn’t remember even after reading the name tag. Our school wasn’t that large, but perhaps we never shared any of the same classes.
Keep Smell’n Them Flowers
His first rule of thumb: Be scent-conscious in your day-to-day life. “If you’re drinking a cup of coffee or tea, actually smell it before you drink it, and when eating food, smell it first,” he says. “If you do this on a regular basis, you will increase your sense of smell.”
Managing Medications
Does your loved one take medications? A lot of them? This post just might help make it a bit more manageable In my research for ‘all things dementia’, I came across an article by the Alzheimer’s Society , “Taking medications with dementia“, it offers tips about taking medications safely, practical tips to help you to…
Mama’s Visitor, the Welcome Stranger
I recognize the sound of her footsteps in the hallway. Is she going to visit me? She’s here! I have to try to open my eyes or she’ll think I’m asleep. “Hi Mama”, she says with a bright smile. I wish I could respond to her greeting. She’s placing her hand under my chin, and turning…
Sing, sing, singing the blues away
Are you feeling blue? Overwhelmed? Take heart – or take up singing. The almost magical affect music has on those suffering from dementia are well established, but what about those who care for them? Here’s some good news: I just read about a study that showed a wonderful side-benefit to music therapy. It seems that…