Alzheimer care is never a cookie cutter solution. Each person is so individual that care must be individual as well. I gave a talk at an Alzheimer Partnershiip Conference in Burlington, MA yesterday. I was purusing the various vendor tables and spied a paper put out by Your Elder Experts, a program of JF&CS. It was called 10 Absolutes for Alzheimer Caregiving. Ah, so there are some absolutes in this disease! I can honestly say I agree with these 10 absolutes. They are: Never argue--> agree,
Never reason--> divert, Never shame--> distract, Never remember--> reminisce, Never say"I told you"--> repeat, Never say "You can't--> Say "do what you can", Never command or demand--> ask or model, Never condescent--> encourage and/or praise, and Never force--> reinforce. I'm not sure what that last one means; perhaps reinforce you wanting them to come with you rather than forcing it as a command. These suggestions are just good kind respectful ways to work with a person with cognitive challenges. I guess I'd add a few: never say 'no', never ask, "Do you remember?", and say "I care about you." a lot.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
My book
It is so gratifying to get emails from readers of my book telling me the positive impact it has on their life as caregiver. Some have said it is their 'caregiving bible' which is very flattering and at the same time a challenge for me to write a good helpful second book. There is a lot that has transpired since 2009 when the book came out. The treatments for making life meaningful for the person with Alzheimer's are a wondrous thing.
I just read about something called Time Slips, which uses a prompt picture to initiate people with memory loss to make up a story of their own instead of being challenged to 'remember' something. One leader cut out a picture of the Marlboro man, and asked participants to develop a story about him. They gave him a name and proceeded to chart his actions. It was a warm humorous story. It taps imagination which is alive and well in people with Alzheimer's.
Another treatment is Arts for Alzheimer's, a day at a museum studying art that has been chosen by those with Alzheimer's as art that evokes an emotional response. People are asked, "What do you see going on in this picture?" Stories are forthcoming, often from those who have not engaged in conversation for some time.
Another memory evoking vehicle comes from My Way Village of Quincy, MA. It is a computer based program that is personalized and evokes memories important to that person. I was part of a pilot program with people with Alzheimer's and was so impressed with the value of adding fun and pleasure to what might have been an otherwise empty lonely day.
These are some of the new ideas and treatments I want to explore in my second book. Are there other things you'd like included in the update on Alzheimer caregiving? Write me at beverly.moore@StilMee.com. I'd love to hear from you. It makes writing a joy when it satisfies a need in a field that is so important to me; alzheimer caregiving.
Another couple of good reads are: I'm Still Here by John Zeisel and Voices of Alzheimer's by Betsy Peterson. The author of Still Alice, a best seller, has written another called Left Neglected. Get yourself a copy. Pick up mine too. It is available on our website for the same cost as Amazon.com. Go to www.StilMee.com
I just read about something called Time Slips, which uses a prompt picture to initiate people with memory loss to make up a story of their own instead of being challenged to 'remember' something. One leader cut out a picture of the Marlboro man, and asked participants to develop a story about him. They gave him a name and proceeded to chart his actions. It was a warm humorous story. It taps imagination which is alive and well in people with Alzheimer's.
Another treatment is Arts for Alzheimer's, a day at a museum studying art that has been chosen by those with Alzheimer's as art that evokes an emotional response. People are asked, "What do you see going on in this picture?" Stories are forthcoming, often from those who have not engaged in conversation for some time.
Another memory evoking vehicle comes from My Way Village of Quincy, MA. It is a computer based program that is personalized and evokes memories important to that person. I was part of a pilot program with people with Alzheimer's and was so impressed with the value of adding fun and pleasure to what might have been an otherwise empty lonely day.
These are some of the new ideas and treatments I want to explore in my second book. Are there other things you'd like included in the update on Alzheimer caregiving? Write me at beverly.moore@StilMee.com. I'd love to hear from you. It makes writing a joy when it satisfies a need in a field that is so important to me; alzheimer caregiving.
Another couple of good reads are: I'm Still Here by John Zeisel and Voices of Alzheimer's by Betsy Peterson. The author of Still Alice, a best seller, has written another called Left Neglected. Get yourself a copy. Pick up mine too. It is available on our website for the same cost as Amazon.com. Go to www.StilMee.com
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