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Name that Tune for Those with Dementia
Associated Content
Start by getting a list of song titles from the era most potential participant(s) are familiar with. If you are not familiar with the songs yourself, you may want to purchase a CD or get some from the library to familiarize yourself with the songs. You may want to use these CDs during the
activity if necessary.
via Name that Tune for Those with Dementia – Associated Content – associatedcontent.com.
Posted on December 31, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Alzheimer's, Caregiving, Dementia | Tags: Alzheimer's, Dementia, music, recreation
Medical Alert Bracelets Save Lives
Daily Biotech Guide
If you have a chronic illness or take prescription medication, you should consider wearing a medical alert bracelet. If an emergency arises, a Medical ID bracelet can help save your life by expediting treatment and avoiding misdiagnosis. Paramedics are also trained to look for a patient’s medical identification bracelet, and more than 95% of them do, so wearing an ID bracelet really is the way to go.
If you are able to engrave your medical bracelet, be sure to include any chronic illnesses, severe allergies, and prescription medications. For example, those who are allergic to peanuts or latex should wear a Medical ID bracelet, as should those with diabetes or heart conditions. If an emergency medical professional knows what you already have, it is easier to manage those conditions while treating any additional problems. In many cases, the condition listed on the bracelet is the cause of the problem itself, so knowing those conditions does save time. If there is room on your bracelet, add an emergency contact number so someone else can help elaborate on your medical history if you are unable to.
Caregivers should wear Medical ID bracelets, even if they don’t have any chronic medical conditions themselves. This is especially important if the care-recipient can’t seek help on his own. All caregiver’s bracelets should include the caregiver’s name, the care-recipient’s name, the caregiver’s relationship to the care-recipient, the care-recipient’s needs, and who to contact in the caregiver’s absence.
via Daily Biotech Guide: Medical Alert Bracelets Save Lives.
Posted on December 30, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Alzheimer's, Autism, Caregiving, Dementia, Down Syndrome | Tags: Caregiving
10 for 10: Feel-Good Dementia Caregiver New Year Resolutions
caring.com
New Year’s resolutions about how you ought to start another diet and ought to be nicer belong back in the Aughts ’00s. For this new decade, caregivers looking after someone with dementia are better off focusing on tasks that will help them power through another demanding year.The following resolutions may be unexpected, but they’re heartfelt and truly helpful:
via 10 for 10: Feel-Good Dementia Caregiver New Year Resolutions.
Posted on December 30, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Dementia | Tags: Caregiving, caregiving stress, Dementia, family caregiving, holidays
Children’s imagination important for cognitive development
WSJ.com
Is the Tooth Fairy real? How about the garbage man? Those questions may seem trivial, but how young children answer them is an important indicator of cognitive development.
For years, imagination was thought of as a way for children to escape from reality, and once they reached a certain age, it was believed they would push fantasy aside and deal with the real world. But, increasingly, child-development experts are recognizing the importance of imagination and the role it plays in understanding reality. Imagination is necessary for learning about people and events we don’t directly experience, such as history or events on the other side of the world. For young kids, it allows them to ponder the future, such as what they want to do when they grow up.
“Whenever you think about the Civil War or the Roman Empire or possibly God, you’re using your imagination,” says Paul Harris, a development psychologist and professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education who studies imagination. “The imagination is absolutely vital for contemplating reality, not just those things we take to be mere fantasy.”
Psychologists like Jacqueline Woolley, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, are studying the process of “magical thinking,” or children’s fantasy lives, and how kids learn to distinguish between what is real and what isn’t.The hope is that understanding how children’s cognition typically develops will also help scientists better understand developmental delays and conditions such as autism.
via Children’s Imagination Important for Cognitive Development – WSJ.com.
Posted on December 28, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Autism | Tags: children with Autism
Raising I.Q. in Toddlers With Autism
New York Times - Well Blog
A new intensive program for very young children with autism has produced impressive results, leading to substantial gains in I.Q. and in listening skills after two years of therapy.
A new book on the E.S.D.M. model for autism.
The program, called the Early Start Denver Model, or E.S.D.M., was part of a two-year study of 48 children as young as 18 months old. Half the children received the intensive therapy, while the rest received a community-based autism intervention, according to a report in the journal Pediatrics.
via Raising I.Q. in Toddlers With Autism – Well Blog – NYTimes.com.
Posted on December 22, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Autism | Tags: children with Autism
Keep the holidays happy for loved ones with dementia
tampabay.com
Gary Barg, editor of Today’s Caregiver magazine, offers these tips to help manage the holiday mayhem if you have somebody at home with Alzheimer’s disease. But we think they make good sense for any family with a loved one who has physical or emotional challenges.
1. Try to include your loved one in holiday preparations by giving him something to do that is within his abilities and that will make him feel useful.
2. Maintain a sense of familiarity. Changing familiar surroundings can lead to confusion, especially for someone with memory or physical challenges. Extra cords, fragile decorations and piles of gifts can be hazards to those with limited mobility.
via Keep the holidays happy for loved ones with dementia.
Posted on December 22, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Alzheimer's, Caregiving, Dementia, Wandering | Tags: Caregiving, family caregiving, holidays, Wandering
5 Ways to Avoid Getting Pushed to the Brink by Alzheimer’s Care
caring.com
One of the scariest aspects of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or another dementia is how sorely the job can test patience. Can Alzheimer’s care push a person to the limits? Sure. Can Alzheimer’s care push a person beyond the limits? That’s the question a recent tragic story raises.
via 5 Ways to Avoid Getting Pushed to the Brink by Alzheimers Care.
Posted on December 22, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Alzheimer's | Tags: caregiver stress, Caregiving
Sobering Statistics about Alzheimer’s Wandering
Alzheimer's Reading Room
How many people suffering from Alzheimer’s go missing each day?
I have never seen this number reported. There are some educated guesstimates — around 125,000 in a year. However, as far as I can tell, there are only about 30,000 reported cases in a year. So the range in any given day is between 342 and 82. A sobering thought.
via Alzheimer’s Reading Room: Sobering Statistics about Alzheimer’s Wandering.
Posted on December 21, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Alzheimer's, Caregiving, Dementia, Wandering | Tags: Caregiving
Link between obesity and Alzheimer’s?
WoodTV8.com
“Can obesity be linked to Alzheimer’s disease? And can physical activity help ward off the disease?”
Answer:
There are two important questions here. The quick answer, of course, is yes. But obesity, as you might imagine, is just one part of the whole puzzle. First, most things that are bad for your heart are often bad for your brain as well. That’s one way to think about it. You see, it’s all about blood flow. So what impedes or affects blood flow to the heart is generally going to cause the same in the brain. Elevated blood pressure, high triglycerides, and high cholesterol all affect blood flow and all increase your chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life.
The good news, to the second part of your question, is we know a lot about what we can do to prevent or delay the onset of this disease. Being physically active has been shown to improve mental function and to keep your brain healthier as you age. It’s also essential for maintaining good blood flow and encouraging the growth of new brain cells. Studies show exercise that raises your heart rate for a minimum of 30 minutes several times a week seems to be the key. And exercise does so much more: It significantly reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes. So stay active to keep your body and brain healthy for those later years.
–Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Via Link between obesity and Alzheimer’s?.
Posted on December 14, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Alzheimer's, Caregiving, Dementia |
Holiday Stress Relief Tips for Alzheimer/Dementia Caregivers
Newswire
Joan Gershman, the creator of the Alzheimer Spouse website, www.thealzheimerspouse.com, is presenting a special Holiday Caregiver Tip Series on surviving the holidays with an Alzheimer spouse or loved one.
Log onto www.thealzheimerspouse.com, and read the Holiday Caregiver Stress Reliever Series, where you will learn about:
Assessing a loved one’s level of functioning before making any plans
How to plan ahead to reduce stress for both caregiver and loved one
Alzheimer proofing the home
Appropriate gifts for a caregiver and loved one with Alzheimer’s Disease – skip the fruit cake- read about the practical “service” gifts that caregivers will rejoice in receiving.
Easing the emotional stress when a spouse or loved one is in a nursing home
Relieve stress by shopping online, where there is no need find respite care, parking spaces, or fight the crowds– Shop the custom designed novelty items at Joan’s Marketplace – www.zazzle.com/joanspouse* – and aid Alzheimer’s Research at the same time. A portion of the proceeds of sales will be donated to the 2010 Alzheimer’s Memory Walk.
Log onto www.thealzheimerspouse.com and get acquainted with all of the special features, including Daily Blogs chronicling challenges and struggles of coping with caring for an AD spouse; Message Boards filled with spouses who understand each others emotions as no one else can, offering support and information to one another, and sections for The Newly Diagnosed; News Articles and Videos; Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease – A Practical Guide; Memory Techniques and Communication Strategies; Finding a Memory Disorders Clinic; Finding Alzheimer Drug Trials; Financial Information; Caregiver Stress Management Cruises; Tips for Male Caregivers, and much, much more.
Via Holiday Stress Relief Tips for Alzheimer/Dementia Caregivers.
Posted on December 14, 2009 | No Comments | Category: Alzheimer's, Caregiving |