Category: Alzheimer's

Uncovering Joy in a Nursing Home

8/11/2017

"I know people who refuse to visit a family member in the nursing home. They say it’s too difficult to see Grandpa that way. They’d prefer to remember him the way he was, not the way he is now. They mention the sights and smells and it disturbs them. I understand those sentiments. But I believe it’s a mistake not to go."

Here is a beautiful, personal essay on living with and loving someone with dementia.

The "new thinking" on caring for people with dementia is a shift from exclusively a "tragedy" narrative to one that honors, respects, and continues to celebrate the life that the person is still living. Life's different with dementia, but it's still a life and it can still be a good life.

This essay not only illustrates that this is possible, but it also shows us with personal examples how to do it.

Greg Lhamon is a friend and a client and one of the best radio and media executives I know ... He's also a wonderful writer and a die-hard Cardinals baseball fan.

CLICK HERE or on the link or photo below to read Greg's story...

http://greglhamon.com/uncovering-joy-in-a-nursing-home/

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Improv & Alzheimers

5/21/2015

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"Step into their world". It's a key premise of improv comedy, and it's how you can effectively communicate with people who have Alzheimer's or dementia. You can't say, "No", or question the premise. You say, "Yes, and ..." Actors Karen Stobbe and her husband Mondy stumbled on a skill they have that is incredibly useful in communicating with Karen's mother who has Alzheimer's – improv.
The public radio program "This American Life" recently featured the Stobbes and their use of improv to improve their lives as caregivers. My favorite excerpt:

When Virginia sees monkeys Mondy sees them too. He told me, "Oh yeah, the last time that happened I said, It's pretty early in the season for monkeys. Didn't even know they actually were here in North Carolina."
"Oh, there's not a lot of them. But they're pretty busy now."
"Well, if you see one again, we should try to capture it, because that would be a blast to have in the house."
"You can't keep monkeys in the house."
"We could, you just have to train 'em right and give 'em pants. Cuz if they don't have pants..."

GIVE IT A LISTEN!

532: Magic Words, Act Two, "Rainy Days and Mondys"
Aug 15, 2014

Click the logo to the left, or the link below to go to the show. The segment on improv & Alzheimer's, is in "Act Two" which starts 28-minutes into the full program.

To jump straight to the improv story, scroll down to the Act Two box and click the > Play arrow.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/532/magic-words?act=2

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