More Than Bingo: Alzheimer's

Showing posts with label Alzheimer's. Show all posts

1/4/10

PUZZLES TO REMEMBER

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. Damage to the brain may begin 10 to 20 years before any problems are evident.

Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning—thinking, remembering, and reasoning—to the extent of interfering with a person's activities of daily living.

New research suggests that engaging in mental activities such as working jigsaw puzzles, may help maintain mental function for months or years.

Puzzles To Remember collects and distributes puzzles to nursing homes, group homes, mental health facilities, and other places caring for Alzheimer's and dementia patients.

Within the first year of operation Puzzles To Remember collected over 1250 puzzles. The current goal is to collect 2000 additional puzzles by June 2010. Please help Puzzles To Remember reach this goal by donating new or gently used puzzles to the program.

Collection boxes are being set up at various locations throughout your local area. (Cick here for a list of these donation sites.)

10/20/09

AuburnPub.com - Nursing director brings new approaches to dementia care

Found this great article on trying to find out more about dementia patients instead of always being so quick to medicate.

10/17/09

Web can help elderly surfers slow dementia - Times Online

I have been wanting to start a computer class at the nursing home where I have been volunteering. So I was thrilled when I came across this post. Now I am even more excited about the program and can't wait to share my experience about it with you.

Do you have a computer class or tried it in the past? Please let me know what your experience has been.
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9/10/09

Every Day Fiction

When I first started in LTC, I worked in an Alzheimer's Unit as an Activity Assistant. Those were some of the best times, not much paper work just me and them spending time together. One of the things I did after lunch was invite them back to the lounge area and read a short story from the Readers Digest. Amazingly it kept their interest and by the time I was done the dining room would be clean and we could move on to our next activity. Here is a site that will email you a short story every day. Try it you might be surprised at the response and it doesn't have to be for Alzheimer's Patients only. Click on title to check it out.

HOW AND WHY I BECAME A BLOGGER

Hi, my name is Dymphna and I was named after an Irish Saint, she is the patron saint for the nervous, mentally ill and epileptics.

I worked as an Activity Assistant/Director in Nursing Homes for about 7 1/2 years. As an Activity Director I was to provide an ongoing program of activities designed to meet the interests, the physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of
each resident. I tried my best to meet those needs, but felt limited by my own knowledge, skills and abilities. By this I mean, I am not an expert at anything in particular, my skills are limited when it comes to spirituality, party planning, crafts, fitness etc. etc. etc.
I recently found a world that I never knew existed, THE LAND OF BLOGS!!! WOW there are experts for EVERYTHING sharing their knowledge and ideas with others! I am starting my own blog to collect ideas for future use and to share with others that can use them as well.