Just yesterday I had the otherwise joyous occasion of another birthday; but, several years ago I decided to no longer celebrate them. I made this decision out of fear. Fear of aging! Who wants to get old?? Older??
Well, I suspect in reality we all do. If for no other reason than it does beat the alternative which is not being alive any longer to celebrate the occasion. I have long heard the adage "Everyday I wake up on this side of the grass, it is a great day"! In spite of all our aches, pains, and complaints, I hope we would all feel this way down deep. So, I decided to quit celebrating getting older; but, to start celebrating being alive. Celebrating life!
While on any given day I may not feel like aging any more, I will always feel great about being around to recognize another year of life.
Life is a journey filled with all manner of bumps, twists, turns, surprises - and, yes, aches and pains. Sorrows and grief. Happiness and joy. It is important we respect the sorrows and grief life deals to us; but, more important we focus on the joys and happiness. Life is meant to be lived. Meant to be celebrated. Meant to be wonderous, and joyous.
A client of mine once expressed it his way, "you know, everyone dies but not everyone lives". Please, do yourself a favor, be kind to yourself and live life to its fullest!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Dementia
Games To Help With Dementia
Any activity you try with alzheimer’s and demented patients works only if you utilize the skills they have (nothing too difficult, it will frustrate them) and builds upon skills they used to have. this helps their memory to become stronger by doing things that remind them of being young. i was an activities director at a nursing home for two years on the unit specifically set aside for demented patients and am getting my masters in gerontology. these suggestions are all things i have done that have worked.
try the following:
Bingo (helps use hand eye skills, auditory skills, and its fun for them)
Scrabble (even if they can’t spell, adding up the points and winning gives great joy and comfort)
Guess the Song (or Sing the end of the song) make sure its songs that she would know (usually stuff from the 30s and 40s (you can download this stuff). music brings demented patients back and jogs memory.
Hair and Nail Salon: Fingernails can get really gross when you’re not paying attention to your hygeine, and demented patients can scratch themselves or others if they’re not kept neat. Try a full manicure (with lotion, hand massage, cleaning under the nails, let her choose the color) This promotes her self esteem, reminds her of being young and beautiful, physical stimulation (touching) helps the brain work better. same with the hair, by rolling curlers and set her hair once in awhile. this works for the same reasons as above.
Easy Cooking: this helps them to use their skills they have forgotten and brings them a feeling of being needed.
you can buy a bread machine for pretty cheap. make different kinds of bread (let her suggest what kind of bread) just have her add the ingredients to the machine and turn it on.
Wrapping Presents: sounds weird, but we had a little "Baby Shower" once with food, presents, decorations, etc. they absolutely loved wrapping the presents. we helped with tape and scissors of course.
Coloring: this seems a bit juvenile, but the ladies who were higher functioning than the rest (they could still pay attention to an individual task if nobody was telling them what to do) absolutely loved coloring. its soothing, and they really get into it.
Tea Time: if she doenst like tea, use something else. dress her up for it. make it seem like a formal, fun event.
Find some old tv shows on DVD ( I love Lucy comes to mind, the Three Stooges, anything you know she liked when she was little. A lot of them like that old TV show Lawrence Welk. Its on PBS on saturdays i think. just tape a couple episodes.
try the following:
Bingo (helps use hand eye skills, auditory skills, and its fun for them)
Scrabble (even if they can’t spell, adding up the points and winning gives great joy and comfort)
Guess the Song (or Sing the end of the song) make sure its songs that she would know (usually stuff from the 30s and 40s (you can download this stuff). music brings demented patients back and jogs memory.
Hair and Nail Salon: Fingernails can get really gross when you’re not paying attention to your hygeine, and demented patients can scratch themselves or others if they’re not kept neat. Try a full manicure (with lotion, hand massage, cleaning under the nails, let her choose the color) This promotes her self esteem, reminds her of being young and beautiful, physical stimulation (touching) helps the brain work better. same with the hair, by rolling curlers and set her hair once in awhile. this works for the same reasons as above.
Easy Cooking: this helps them to use their skills they have forgotten and brings them a feeling of being needed.
you can buy a bread machine for pretty cheap. make different kinds of bread (let her suggest what kind of bread) just have her add the ingredients to the machine and turn it on.
Wrapping Presents: sounds weird, but we had a little "Baby Shower" once with food, presents, decorations, etc. they absolutely loved wrapping the presents. we helped with tape and scissors of course.
Coloring: this seems a bit juvenile, but the ladies who were higher functioning than the rest (they could still pay attention to an individual task if nobody was telling them what to do) absolutely loved coloring. its soothing, and they really get into it.
Tea Time: if she doenst like tea, use something else. dress her up for it. make it seem like a formal, fun event.
Find some old tv shows on DVD ( I love Lucy comes to mind, the Three Stooges, anything you know she liked when she was little. A lot of them like that old TV show Lawrence Welk. Its on PBS on saturdays i think. just tape a couple episodes.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Fall Risks Amoung Older Adults
Consider the following statistics:
*Every 18 seconds an older adult is treated in an emergency room for a fall, and every 35 minutes a senior dies following a fall,
*Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths amoung people age 65 and older, accounting for almost 16,000 deaths in 2005,
*One out of every three people aged 65 and older falls each year despite the fact that research shows most falls are preventable,
*It cost more than $19Billion each year to treat injuries from falls, with the average hospitalization from a fall costing ~$17,500,
*By 2020, the annual costs for fall-related injuries are expected to reach $54.9Billion (in 2007 dollars)
For those of us nearing this age group called "seniors", and for those of us that have parents well into, and beyond, this age group this is a set of scary, and very concerning, statistics!
Falls happen for any number of reasons; some related to accidents, some to chronic illnesses, and some due to an acute illness (say, a stroke); but, as suggested many are preventable. I will use my own mother, who is 85 years old and still lives alone in her home of 50 years, as my example. Several years ago she developed macular degeneration in one eye which severely limited her vision. She then developed cataracts which have been subsequently removed; but, further limits her vision. While she is generally pretty darn healthy, she occassionally suffers dizzy spells - probably from not drinking enough water and dehydrating, especially during the summer months. She is gradually; but, surely becoming increasingly frail. However, she is fiercely independent and quite stubborn (ringing any bells?). Even though I have continuously advised against it, she will still go outside on a 90+ degree day, and using an old-fashioned push mower, mow her lawn.
Her house is two-story, and her bathroom and bedroom are both upstairs. She must make two dozen trips a day up and down those stairs. While she takes her time doing so, each trip is a chance for her to have that "accident" that will cause her physical harm. To help with preventing this, I have installed numerous safety features and caution her on at least a weekly basis about her safety. I am very fortunate that my mother does not suffer from dementia and is very capable of listening to, and following safety precautions. I still worry that each trip she makes increases her odds of a fall, and I anticipate that call informing me she has trip and fallen and is in route to an emergency room.
I will continue to encourage her to consider moving into a newer, single level living space; but, to date she has steadfastly refused to move from her home. I do everything I can to aid her in her safety; but, realize that her risks remain.
Do others of you encounter similar issues with your parents?
*Every 18 seconds an older adult is treated in an emergency room for a fall, and every 35 minutes a senior dies following a fall,
*Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths amoung people age 65 and older, accounting for almost 16,000 deaths in 2005,
*One out of every three people aged 65 and older falls each year despite the fact that research shows most falls are preventable,
*It cost more than $19Billion each year to treat injuries from falls, with the average hospitalization from a fall costing ~$17,500,
*By 2020, the annual costs for fall-related injuries are expected to reach $54.9Billion (in 2007 dollars)
For those of us nearing this age group called "seniors", and for those of us that have parents well into, and beyond, this age group this is a set of scary, and very concerning, statistics!
Falls happen for any number of reasons; some related to accidents, some to chronic illnesses, and some due to an acute illness (say, a stroke); but, as suggested many are preventable. I will use my own mother, who is 85 years old and still lives alone in her home of 50 years, as my example. Several years ago she developed macular degeneration in one eye which severely limited her vision. She then developed cataracts which have been subsequently removed; but, further limits her vision. While she is generally pretty darn healthy, she occassionally suffers dizzy spells - probably from not drinking enough water and dehydrating, especially during the summer months. She is gradually; but, surely becoming increasingly frail. However, she is fiercely independent and quite stubborn (ringing any bells?). Even though I have continuously advised against it, she will still go outside on a 90+ degree day, and using an old-fashioned push mower, mow her lawn.
Her house is two-story, and her bathroom and bedroom are both upstairs. She must make two dozen trips a day up and down those stairs. While she takes her time doing so, each trip is a chance for her to have that "accident" that will cause her physical harm. To help with preventing this, I have installed numerous safety features and caution her on at least a weekly basis about her safety. I am very fortunate that my mother does not suffer from dementia and is very capable of listening to, and following safety precautions. I still worry that each trip she makes increases her odds of a fall, and I anticipate that call informing me she has trip and fallen and is in route to an emergency room.
I will continue to encourage her to consider moving into a newer, single level living space; but, to date she has steadfastly refused to move from her home. I do everything I can to aid her in her safety; but, realize that her risks remain.
Do others of you encounter similar issues with your parents?
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