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Five Types of Health Support For People Living With Dementia
by Teepa Snow, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA
We typically do NOT spend a lot of time considering which form of health care we should be seeking or getting for ourselves when we are healthy and well. If we get acutely ill, of course, we would get ourselves treated. When we are well, we may typically say we want to try to reduce our risks of getting a chronic disease or hastening the onset of possible health problems. But of course, we rarely actually follow through on doing all that we can to reduce those risks; it is too much trouble, too costly, too extreme, too poorly researched to verify the value. In other words, it seems like too much work for the possibility of benefits. As part of our lack of attention to this situation, we do NOT complete our advance directive and discuss them with the person we think will be our durable health care power of attorney (our surrogate decision maker) while we are well and whole. And even if we do a bit of that, we keep it global and really don't look seriously about our genetic codes and life-style risks.
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created by Linn Possell, PAC Lead Mentor
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It's Not Just Cold and Flu Season
Cabin Fever Is Going Around
by Leslie J Finkley, PAC Mentor
Curling up by the fire with a hot cup of chocolate
is nice for a while but then the walls start closing in. The winter months can be tough when the weather prevents
people from going outside and indoor activities that used to bring joy, now seem boring. How can we help someone living with dementia find new opportunities for pleasure in the home when cabin fever sets in?
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An Unapologetic Voice
WHERE DID YOU GO? the film -
A Voice for Lewy Body Dementia
by Jay Joseph Jones, Director, with Teepa Snow
Recently, I attended the
Idyllwild  International Film Festival of Cinema 2017
in California with Positive Approach® to Care's (PAC) Corrie Phillips. This is a very well run and respected international film festival, where my film won Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. While we were there, Corrie and I had crucial experiences that totally altered my perception of how the film provided a unique venue, when combined with audience response and personal conversations to dramatically change what is believed, known, and done related to dementia and people's lives. It is now clear to me that with greater support this short film could have a much broader effect. In this article, I hope to take things in a different direction. Here I want to discuss some of my unshared thinking and processing behind and within the project and look at the very real impact of the film so far. I want to address why advocacy and knowledge is still very important on a wider scale and how my vision for this film was confirmed in one single afternoon in a mountain town in the USA.
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When Dementia Comes Home
Perspective from a Daughter/Dementia Professional
by Gillian Maidens, Care Partner and Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing,
University of Wolverhampton
I leaned over and kissed mum goodbye, I tasted the salty tear that had made its way down her face, and my heart sank. Damn you brain, damn you! Why can you still create emotions and make mum feel pain, insecurity, and distress but you can't let her recognize my face and help her say my name? Damn you brain, damn you!
Everything about my mother is every bit my mother. She's still inside, she just can't decipher what's going on, she can't make sense of her world. She looks the same, wears the same clothes, smells the same, and her hand feels just as soft. She just grips a lot harder when we walk together. When I sit next to her I can still put my head on her shoulder and she still puts her cheek on my head. I close my eyes and can imagine it's just as it was, just for a few seconds. Then she tries to speak and nothing makes sense, and the reality of our real world comes flooding into the room.
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Become a PAC Certified
Independent Professional
 Upcoming Events
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Flowers for Mom
by Elmore DeMott
Have you noticed how many weeds put forth flowers, how dying flowers are rich in color, or how bugs on flowers are fascinating to watch? As an artist, I use the medium of photography to express thoughts and emotions. Since August 2nd, I have taken a photograph of a single flower every day, and in doing so, have begun to notice and appreciate those very things. This budding new series is called
Flowers for Mom and
is my artistic response to being the daughter of one with Alzheimers. There are days of feeling lost in the weeds, of grieving over what is no longer blooming, and of being bothered by pests in the garden of life. Even so, when I pause and pay attention, what I see are new buds showing promise, beautiful flowers to be enjoyed exactly as they are, and butterflies pollinating the garden to ensure future blooms.
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An Emerald Music Moment
by Mary Sue Wilkinson
Right in front of me sits a woman with a round, soft face, tight curly hair, and the bluest eyes you can imagine. She is short and her feet barely touch the ground. She is wearing blue pants with tights underneath, and ankle socks that she frequently reaches down to pull up from her white tennis shoes.
When I arrive, she squeals, "I love you!" as she bounces up and down in her chair. She swings her feet and taps her toes to the music, often sitting on her hands like a small child might. She wears the biggest smile ever. Her voice is quivery, but she sings every song with gusto, often clapping along. Her delight in the music is contagious and spills over to those around her.
Mary Sue Wilkinson is the founder of Singing Heart to Heart and the author of "Songs You Know By Heart: A Simple Guide for Using Music in Dementia Care," from which this Music Moment is an excerpt. The book includes contributions from Teepa Snow as well as Mary Sue's recording of 18 favorite sing along songs. Buy the book
HERE
. Visit her website
www.SingingHeartToHeart.com
to learn more.
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Upcoming Events
February 2, 2017
Columbus, OH
February 7, 2017
February 22, 2017
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Book your event today for staff training, family nights, professional referral source events, or refresher workshops
.
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Lifetime Online
Video Viewing
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PAC Training increases awareness, knowledge, and confidence among care staff and educates resident families.
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Positive Approach Partners
with
Levenson & Associates
Attorneys at Law
Mr. Levenson is partnering with us to answer your legal questions.
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Check out these new items in the Care Store
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For the
2017 North American Dementia Conference and Technology Showcase
Be Brave Enough To Start A Conversation That Matters
CLICK HERE
To Learn More
About
Caring
Conversations
and the
Caring Conversations Tool Kit
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Positive Approach to Care now offers
TWO New Webinar Series!
Learn with Teepa Snow from the comfort of your own home or office.
Participate in the LIVE events or view the recordings through our online streaming portal.
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