Archives
Alzheimer’s Phone Problems
caring.com
Sometimes it’s the little things that get you with Alzheimer’s. Phone challenges, for example. Difficulty using the telephone is an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease. But even once you already know someone has dementia, phone issues can be an ongoing source of trouble.
via Alzheimer’s Phone Problems | Alzheimer’s Telephone Problems.
Posted on October 30, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Alzheimer's, Caregiving |
Art therapy helps Alzheimer’s patients connect with past, keep busy in future
Bradenton Herald
Archie flips through the pages of a National Geographic magazine, looking for photos that remind him of favorite faraway places.
“Did you travel much when you were in the service?” Marjorie Hilkert asks Archie, a retired two-star general.
“Yes,” he replies, still turning the pages.
When Archie, 80, finds a water scene he likes, nursing assistant Monica Leon Galarza cuts it out. Using a glue stick, Archie pastes the page onto a collage he’s making.
Archie and eight residents in the Memory Care Unit at Patriots Colony in Williamsburg, Va., use pages from magazines to create collages during a Memories in the Making art program. The weekly, hour-long art sessions with clay, watercolors and other media are designed to focus on what they can recall.
Posted on October 30, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Alzheimer's, Caregiving, Dementia | Tags: art
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin: Local News
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
Last weekend, the Cougars — a team of fifth- and sixth-grade boys — brought an inspirational season to a close, winning the “Super Bowl” 25-20 against the Chiefs.
One Cougar in particular inspired his teammates, family and coaches both on and off the field.
Daniel Randolph, a 10-year-old fifth-grader at Berney Elementary School, played football for the first time, on the same team as his older brother Jeffrey. Unlike Jeffrey, Daniel has an autism-spectrum disorder, and he surprised everyone when he decided to try out in August.
via Walla Walla Union-Bulletin: Local News.
Posted on October 30, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Autism |
Lions training dogs for children with autism
Niagara Advance, Ontario, Canada
As the number of children with autism has ballooned in recent years, the Lions service club has stepped up to the plate with a program to provide assistance with dog guides.
For more than 25 years, the Lions Foundation of Canada has been providing dog guides to people with disabilities, first for the visually impaired, then to people with hearing problems, those with special needs or suffering from seizures. Their newest program will place dogs with children and families living with autism, beginning in January.
via Lions training dogs for children with autism – Niagara Advance – Ontario, CA.
Posted on October 29, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Autism, Caregiving | Tags: animals, children with Autism
Halloween for Children on the Autism Spectrum
Autisable
Halloween is scary enough even for children without development delays, physical limitations, neurological disorders or other issues that cause them to be in part of the more than 6 million children who are labeled “special needs.” It is this group of children who can have an especially hard time with Halloween so I have provided a few tips so you may have a easier time with your autistic child if you plan celebrate Halloween.
via Halloween for Children on the Autism Spectrum | autisable.
Posted on October 28, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Autism, Caregiving | Tags: children with Autism, family caregiving, holidays
Pneumonia and Influenza Flu Hospitalizations in Elderly People with Dementia
Alzheimer's Reading Room
Limited access to specialized health care services can delay diagnosis and treatment of the flu, causing it to progress to pneumonia, the fifth leading cause of death among the elderly…It could be beneficial to refine guidelines for the immunization, testing, and treatment of flu in older patients with dementia when planning for the possibility of a flu pandemic. — Elena Naumova, PhD, professor of public health and community medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine
Posted on October 28, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Alzheimer's, Caregiving, Dementia | Tags: health, hospitals
N.H. police see safety, savings in ‘LoJack for people’
Manchester (N.H.) Union-Leader
SALEM, N.H. — Finding a missing Alzheimer’s patient or an autistic child is a nightmare for law enforcement and caregivers alike, but now the same technology used to locate stolen cars will be deployed to help.
The Salem Police Department is the first in New Hampshire to offer the LoJack SafetyNet program, said Deputy Chief William Ganley. Essentially, it allows caregivers to equip an individual in danger of “wandering” with a water-proof transmitter worn on the ankle or wrist. It emits a unique digital radio frequency pre-registered with police.
If someone is missing, officers will be able to hone in on them using a receiver. The system has a range of about a mile from the ground and up to seven miles from the air, Ganley said.
“For lack of a better description, it’s kind of like LoJack for people,” he said. “It’s designed for people who can’t tell us where they are or who they are. It’s not for anybody to use as a safety measure. … It’s for the people who need our help the most.”
via N.H. police see safety, savings in ‘LoJack for people’.
Posted on October 27, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Alzheimer's, Autism, Caregiving, Dementia, Down Syndrome, Search and Rescue, Wandering | Tags: family caregiving
Jenison students elect ‘awesome and nice’ autistic student as Homecoming Queen
Grand Rapids News
GEORGETOWN TOWNSHIP — When Rachel Slawkowski was crowned homecoming queen, the roar at Jenison High School’s football stadium sounded more like it was for the winning touchdown.
Rachel waved her roses like a baseball bat, and clapped for herself. Her parents, Lana and Jerome Slawkowski, wiped tears, joined by many others.
The Class of 2010 homecoming queen is the girl who says “Hi, how are you?” to everyone in the hallways. She can immediately recognize what note you sing in, and she most certainly will remember your birthday.
“I won with roses with a crown on top of a head in the newspaper with Michael Zhu at the football game,” Rachel said. “Michael is the king. Rachel Slawkowski, queen.”
Rachel, who turns 18 on Thursday, is autistic.
Posted on October 27, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Autism | Tags: children with Autism, school
Elderly-Friendly Remodeling
Planning for the Golden years!
There’s nothing worse than seeing older or disabled person unable to enjoy their home or worse, forced to move because the existing conditions are not user friendly.
A home that is user-friendly for the elderly and the disabled can be aesthetically pleasing. More and more products today are designed for disabled or elderly applications and have broken the “utilitarian” design mold and are now quite attractive.
via A Concord Carpenter Comments: Elderly-Friendly Remodeling.
Posted on October 26, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Caregiving | Tags: housing
Man writes book on ‘Dads and Autism’
Hunterdon (N.J.) Review
CALIFON – Borough resident Emerson B. Donnell III will offer a workshop and sign his new book “Dads and Autism, How To Stay in the Game,” this Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Califon Bookstore, 72 Main St.
Donnell’s first workshop will take place at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Clinton Book Shop, 33 Main St., Clinton.
A second workshop will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Califon Bookstore, 72 Main St., Califon.
It is open to anyone – parents, professionals, teachers, therapists, or anyone with an interest in a new view of the treatment of autism and in ways to help the families of autistic children.
Book-signings are a new event for 45-year old Donnell but so are many things in his life these days. Ever since his only son, Emerson IV, was diagnosed with autism two years ago, this father’s life has changed radically.
“When we learned that our baby boy was autistic, my wife Jen and I were thrown into another dimension,” says Donnell. “I needed something to help me figure out what to do, so I searched everywhere for information and especially for books.”
Posted on October 23, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Autism, Caregiving | Tags: book, children with Autism, family caregiving