OMA Winter eNews--Funding available, FREE caregiver guide, Memory Cafes

2019 Winter NEWSLETTER

Building bridges across age and cognitive barriers through art

Ohio Medicaid Renewed OMA Implementation Grant!

The Ohio Department of Medicaid once again provided funding to implement OMA at Skilled Nursing Facilities in Ohio. We are prioritizing sites that have existing relationships with medical schools or other universities educating future healthcare professionals (nurses, occupational and speech therapists, social workers, etc.). Sites must be Medicaid certified and new to OMA. Applications are due March 2, 2020. Apply here.

Creative Caregiving Guide: A FREE Resource for Caregivers

Thanks to the efforts of the National Center for Creative Aging and its sponsors, we now have a free resource guide for caregivers at home to infuse the arts into their caregiving routine. Learn from internationally renowned master teaching artists how to do art, music, dance, poetry, and drama activities with people who are living with dementia. Each lesson consists of short videos that you can adapt. Spanish lessons included. See lessons here.

Gratitude and Farewell to Beth Rohrbaugh

Beth Rohrbaugh has served as OMA's Assistant Director since 2013. She has helped OMA grow from a few local sites in Ohio to the over 150 sites throughout USA and Canada. She has been an invaluable member of the OMA team. Many of you have had the opportunity to interact with her and experienced her passion for older adults with dementia. She wants to devote more of her time to family and other pursuits. Beth has certainly left OMA much stronger than when she started. For that, we are always grateful.

ART IDEA: Making a holiday wreath using OMA art

Make beautiful holiday paper wreaths using OMA art as leaves. See a step by step instruction using basic materials and OMA art to create unique OMA wreaths of your own.

OMA artists living with dementia can create the artwork using an OMA art project of your choice. Volunteers, staff, family members can build the wreath using the artwork created. A collaboration that both parties can be proud of. Learn how to do it here.

OMA started intergenerational Memory Cafes in Oxford

To serve people who are in the earlier stages of dementia and their care partners, this fall we started two Memory Cafes in Oxford, at the Lane Public Library and at the Oxford Community Arts Center. Miami students attend these intergene-rational cafes. We began by collaborating with the Alzheimer's Association to train local artists, musicians, students, and librarians to become dementia-capable program leaders. Learn more here.

Nail It! Another intergenerational opportunity

Here is a simple and quick way to begin an intergenerational program where you are. Miami students go to a local retirement community to do manicure service for residents with dementia. Students went through the same OMA training to develop effective communication skills plus another training on painting nails and gentle hand massage. They practice on each other and then work with elders every other week. Find out more here.

Featured OMA Facilitator: Don Talbot

Meet Don Talbot, Ph.D., our featured OMA facilitator this quarter. Don is a fine art faculty at Mount Aloysius College in Pennsylvania. Don was trained as an OMA facilitator in 2015. Since then he has established three OMA sites, two with his students from the college and one with high school students. Community volunteers are also in the mix at his OMA sites.

Learn more about what he does and his advise for other facilitators here.

Enjoyable Holidays for Everyone

The holidays can be a beautiful time with friends and family, but they can also present challenges for people living with dementia. Click the link below to learn how to include them and make the environment enjoyable for everyone.