Friday, April 29, 2011
Music Has Power
The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function, a member of the Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) agency founded in 1995 to restore, maintain and improve people's physical, emotional and neurologic functioning through the systematic use of music. For more information, visit www.imnf.org or call (718) 519-5840.
Music Memory and the Mind
Opera star Deborah Voight performs for Alzheimer's patients. Discussion follows with Oliver Sacks and other Neuroscientists.
Oliver Sacks - Musicophilia - Alzheimer's/The Power of Music
Oliver Sacks talks about Alzheimer's and the power of music.
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400033539
iPods for Alzheimer's
Based on 30 years of clinical experience, the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function (IMNF), a leader in research and clinical music therapy programs for persons with Alzheimer's and dementia, has partnered with Music and Memory.org to launch the Well-Tuned: Music Players for Health iPod Program to allow Alzheimer's patients to access the benefits of therapeutic music remotely.
Through the Well-Tuned: Music Players for Health program, IMNF music therapists and other specialists work with family members and caregivers to create a customized list of music, specifically tailored for the individual with Alzheimer's. The music is then loaded onto an iPod and listened to in order to stabilize mood, reduce tension and improve overall quality of life. The program is customized for individuals, nursing homes and community-based programs. It's an easy and affordable way to bring therapeutic music programming anywhere. More info on the Well-Tuned: Music Players for Health program can be found at http://www.bethabe.org/Top_10s_for_Memory327.html.
What it Means to "Guard" & "Conserve"
From: National Association to Stop Guardian Abuse
The purpose of the law - known both as guardianship and conservatorship is to “GUARD” and “CONSERVE”
* To GUARD “incapacitated” or “incompetent” people from harming
themselves
* To CONSERVE their assets and property; and
* To prevent them from becoming a “public charge.”
BUT SOMETHING’S GONE TERRIBLY WRONG!
Over the years, a growing uncaring and unjust judicial system has helped convert guardianship/conservatorship from an appropriate law to one which, if misused, is damaging to the general public. At present, it operates to ensnare the most vulnerable people in a larger and larger trawling net, now including those merely physically "incapacitated"! It has become a feeding trough for unethical lawyers and other "fiduciaries" appointed by the courts to protect, but many of whom become nothing more than predators.
Wards, instead of being protected by the system, are victimized by it. Strangers are given total and absolute control of life, liberty, and property of their wards. Wards of the state lose all rights involving self-determination, including:
• the right to contract, including the right to choose a lawyer;
• the right to control their assets and make financial decisions;
• the right to remain in their own home and protect it from sale;
• the right to protect and enjoy their personal property;
• the right to choose where to live;
• the right to accept or refuse medical treatment, including psychotropic drugs;
• the right to decide their social environments and contacts;
• the right to assure prompt payment of taxes and liabilities;
• the right to vote;
• the right to drive;
• the right to marry; and
• the right to complain.
After being stripped of all their rights, wards are left defenseless and subject to exploitation by the very people chosen to protect them; they are now invisible and voiceless.
Uncaring/corrupt judges misuse the law and engage in blatant due process, civil/human rights violations. Victims aren’t always given notice of hearings at which their competence will be adjudicated, aren’t always allowed to attend, and often don’t have lawyers. If the court does appoint lawyers, often they are too closely affiliated with other professionals who make their living in this special area; and do not properly represent the victims’ interests. Corrupt judges do not apply the required evidentiary standards in making adjudications of incompetency, and frequently fail to obey the protective statutes, or include specific findings of fact.
Homes are sold to insiders at below market! Contents - family heirlooms, jewelry, photographs, etc. - disappear, either stolen outright or sold at auction. Estate assets are rapidly paid out to the fiduciaries in exorbitant "fees" and "commissions" until there is nothing left!
“Fiduciaries” are given power of life and death, burying their wards in nursing homes where they are kept chemically restrained with unnecessary and dangerous drugs; family members are denied any say in their care, and sometimes denied visitation, except under guard at their own expense!
Hard to believe this is happening in America? Believe it!
AND GUESS WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE COURT-APPOINTED FIDUCIARIES TAKE EVERYTHING AND LEAVE THEIR WARDS WITH NOTHING? A shocking twist: the American Taxpayer, whom these statutes are supposed to protect, is actually now PAYING THE TAB FOR THEIR CONTINUED LIFELONG CARE UNDER MEDICAID while the people who are "licensed to steal" enjoy their unearned and unjust enrichment. INSTEAD OF PROTECTING THE PUBLIC INTEREST, GUARDIANSHIP HAS INDEED BECOME A BURDEN TO THE TAXPAYER!… an extremely ironic, costly, and appalling consequence of a good law gone bad! Some fiduciaries claim that what they're doing (while filling their pockets) is to "spend down" the assets specifically to qualify the ward for Medicaid! No way!!! That's not what the law intended!
The purpose of the law - known both as guardianship and conservatorship is to “GUARD” and “CONSERVE”
* To GUARD “incapacitated” or “incompetent” people from harming
themselves
* To CONSERVE their assets and property; and
* To prevent them from becoming a “public charge.”
BUT SOMETHING’S GONE TERRIBLY WRONG!
Over the years, a growing uncaring and unjust judicial system has helped convert guardianship/conservatorship from an appropriate law to one which, if misused, is damaging to the general public. At present, it operates to ensnare the most vulnerable people in a larger and larger trawling net, now including those merely physically "incapacitated"! It has become a feeding trough for unethical lawyers and other "fiduciaries" appointed by the courts to protect, but many of whom become nothing more than predators.
Wards, instead of being protected by the system, are victimized by it. Strangers are given total and absolute control of life, liberty, and property of their wards. Wards of the state lose all rights involving self-determination, including:
• the right to contract, including the right to choose a lawyer;
• the right to control their assets and make financial decisions;
• the right to remain in their own home and protect it from sale;
• the right to protect and enjoy their personal property;
• the right to choose where to live;
• the right to accept or refuse medical treatment, including psychotropic drugs;
• the right to decide their social environments and contacts;
• the right to assure prompt payment of taxes and liabilities;
• the right to vote;
• the right to drive;
• the right to marry; and
• the right to complain.
After being stripped of all their rights, wards are left defenseless and subject to exploitation by the very people chosen to protect them; they are now invisible and voiceless.
Uncaring/corrupt judges misuse the law and engage in blatant due process, civil/human rights violations. Victims aren’t always given notice of hearings at which their competence will be adjudicated, aren’t always allowed to attend, and often don’t have lawyers. If the court does appoint lawyers, often they are too closely affiliated with other professionals who make their living in this special area; and do not properly represent the victims’ interests. Corrupt judges do not apply the required evidentiary standards in making adjudications of incompetency, and frequently fail to obey the protective statutes, or include specific findings of fact.
Homes are sold to insiders at below market! Contents - family heirlooms, jewelry, photographs, etc. - disappear, either stolen outright or sold at auction. Estate assets are rapidly paid out to the fiduciaries in exorbitant "fees" and "commissions" until there is nothing left!
“Fiduciaries” are given power of life and death, burying their wards in nursing homes where they are kept chemically restrained with unnecessary and dangerous drugs; family members are denied any say in their care, and sometimes denied visitation, except under guard at their own expense!
Hard to believe this is happening in America? Believe it!
AND GUESS WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE COURT-APPOINTED FIDUCIARIES TAKE EVERYTHING AND LEAVE THEIR WARDS WITH NOTHING? A shocking twist: the American Taxpayer, whom these statutes are supposed to protect, is actually now PAYING THE TAB FOR THEIR CONTINUED LIFELONG CARE UNDER MEDICAID while the people who are "licensed to steal" enjoy their unearned and unjust enrichment. INSTEAD OF PROTECTING THE PUBLIC INTEREST, GUARDIANSHIP HAS INDEED BECOME A BURDEN TO THE TAXPAYER!… an extremely ironic, costly, and appalling consequence of a good law gone bad! Some fiduciaries claim that what they're doing (while filling their pockets) is to "spend down" the assets specifically to qualify the ward for Medicaid! No way!!! That's not what the law intended!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Music Training May Help Keep Aging Brain Healthy >> Caring.com
Reposted from:
Caring.com
MONDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- Music lessons may help keep the brain healthy as people grow older, a new study suggests.
Researchers from the University of Kansas Medical Center divided 70 healthy adults, ages 60 to 83, into three groups based on their amount of musical experience: no musical training, one to nine years of music lessons, and at least 10 years of musical study.
More than half of those with a music background studied piano, about one-quarter played woodwind instruments such as the flute or clarinet, and others played string instruments, percussion or brass instruments.
The participants -- who had similar fitness and education levels and were free of Alzheimer's disease -- were given several cognitive tests. Those with the greatest amount of musical experience did best on these tests of mental acuity, followed by those with less musical study and those who never took music lessons.
Compared to non-musicians, the people with a high degree of musical experience had much higher scores on the cognitive tests, including those related to visuospatial memory, naming objects, and the brain's ability to adapt to new information (cognitive flexibility).
The benefits of musical study were still apparent even in those who no longer played an instrument, the researchers said.
The study appears online in the journal Neuropsychology.
"Musical activity throughout life may serve as a challenging cognitive exercise, making your brain fitter and more capable of accommodating the challenges of aging," lead researcher Brenda Hanna-Pladdy said in a journal news release.
Hanna-Pladdy, now an assistant professor in neurology at Emory University School of Medicine, added, "Since studying an instrument requires years of practice and learning, it may create alternate connections in the brain that could compensate for cognitive declines as we get older."
The Society for Neuroscience outlines ways to keep your brain healthy as you age.
SOURCE: Neuropsychology, news release, April 20, 2011
Copyright ©2011 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Caring.com
MONDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- Music lessons may help keep the brain healthy as people grow older, a new study suggests.
Researchers from the University of Kansas Medical Center divided 70 healthy adults, ages 60 to 83, into three groups based on their amount of musical experience: no musical training, one to nine years of music lessons, and at least 10 years of musical study.
More than half of those with a music background studied piano, about one-quarter played woodwind instruments such as the flute or clarinet, and others played string instruments, percussion or brass instruments.
The participants -- who had similar fitness and education levels and were free of Alzheimer's disease -- were given several cognitive tests. Those with the greatest amount of musical experience did best on these tests of mental acuity, followed by those with less musical study and those who never took music lessons.
Compared to non-musicians, the people with a high degree of musical experience had much higher scores on the cognitive tests, including those related to visuospatial memory, naming objects, and the brain's ability to adapt to new information (cognitive flexibility).
The benefits of musical study were still apparent even in those who no longer played an instrument, the researchers said.
The study appears online in the journal Neuropsychology.
"Musical activity throughout life may serve as a challenging cognitive exercise, making your brain fitter and more capable of accommodating the challenges of aging," lead researcher Brenda Hanna-Pladdy said in a journal news release.
Hanna-Pladdy, now an assistant professor in neurology at Emory University School of Medicine, added, "Since studying an instrument requires years of practice and learning, it may create alternate connections in the brain that could compensate for cognitive declines as we get older."
The Society for Neuroscience outlines ways to keep your brain healthy as you age.
SOURCE: Neuropsychology, news release, April 20, 2011
Copyright ©2011 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Music & Aging Quote
Image by all that improbable blue via Flickr"Musical activity throughout life may serve as a challenging cognitive exercise, making your brain fitter and more capable of accommodating the challenges of aging." - Brenda Hanna-Pladdy, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist
Friday, April 22, 2011
Keeping The Love Alive: The Power of "I Love You" from The Alzheimer's Reading Room
A repost from The Alzheimer's Reading Room.
Keeping The Love Alive: The Power of "I Love You"
We didn't.
My mom and I were never close. That changed when I hit my mid-forties. I don't generally select the normal route through life, but my experiences caused me to go with the flow. I had my very own mid-life crisis. I decided to challenge my mom to fully step into the role of mom to help me through it. Her life experiences had deeply damaged her, and I'd been cautioned by her parents and her brothers to not put any pressure on her to do more than she did.
My mom and I were never close. That changed when I hit my mid-forties. I don't generally select the normal route through life, but my experiences caused me to go with the flow. I had my very own mid-life crisis. I decided to challenge my mom to fully step into the role of mom to help me through it. Her life experiences had deeply damaged her, and I'd been cautioned by her parents and her brothers to not put any pressure on her to do more than she did.
Well, her parents were now dead. So was her younger brother. Her older brother lived thousands of miles away. What did I have to lose"
I told her, "Mom, I'm going through a tough time and I need a mom. The family has always taught me not to put pressure on you. They told me you were a porcelain doll. They're dead now. You're still here. That tells me something important. I think you can handle it now. Will you be my mom and help me?"
Bless her, she stepped up to the challenge. We gradually formed a close bond with each other, made that much sweeter because it took over forty years to develop.
I decided, only forty-three years into our relationship, that it was time for us to say "I love you" to each other. The words awkwardly rolled off my tongue the first few times I said them to her. You'd think I was speaking a foreign language. I was. I didn't ask her to do it, but she eventually began to say the words back to me.
Wow, that felt weird. We'd never done that before. But the more we said it to each other, the better it felt to me. We got into the habit of ending each phone conversation by saying "I love you." It took her longer than it took me for it to feel good to her, but after enough time passed, I felt the happiness in her voice when she said it back to me. When we saw each other, we'd say it before we went to sleep. We got used to ending our days saying it to each other. It felt wonderful to finally have that kind of relationship with my mom, that we could say those powerful words to each other.
Then she fell.
My mom's head injury made her different.
She'd still say "I love you" to me, but the words now carried more fear than love. "I love you" now meant "Will you still be there for me, even though we both know I'm not what I used to be?"
No problem. True love never dies.
The head injury triggered the onset of dementia.
We'd still say the words to each other each day. We both needed to hear them, and we both needed to say them.
When I was no longer able to care for her, I said the words more often to her. Thank you, guilt.
I wanted her to know I still loved her even though I was unable to give her the care she now needed. It was so hard for me to hand her over to the care of strangers, even though I knew it was the right thing for both of us. The only words I now had to connect our hearts was "I love you." She always said it back to me. I knew she didn't judge me for what I was unable to do, even though I judged myself.
When she moved into the memory care unit at the assisted living facility, I made a point of saying the words at the end of each conversation. I'd have to say them louder now. There were constant distractions around her. It was hard for her to stay focused on what I was saying.
Her dementia and related conditions were slowly getting worse. Her deterioration never got in the way of our saying the words to each other. I'd walk into the living room at her facility to visit with her. Her eyes sparkled, and a big smile brightened her face when she saw me. She'd call out my name with the greatest joy. "SHERYL!!!!!"
Her love for me warmed all who saw us together. She'd become so loving when the clouds created by the illness parted to allow her true self to show through. After a lifetime of being afraid of being hurt by opening her heart to love, she radiated love.
On February 9 of this year, I got the phone call I knew would eventually come. The nurse at the facility told me my mom was dying and asked what decisions I wanted to make for end of life care. Her doctor, her nurse and I decided to keep her as comfortable as possible in her own bed. Hospice showed up within a few hours. They provided her with magnificent care. The staff loved my mom. They grieved her imminent death along with me and gave her beautiful support during her final days.
I drove way over the speed limit to get to her in time. I called her facility while I was driving to her. The nurse held her cell phone to my mom's ear so I could ask her to hold on if she possibly could, that I was on my way, that I loved her so much. The nurse said my mom smiled when she heard my voice, and her smile got bigger when I said "I love you." By the time I got to her, she was in a coma. I held her hand, saying everything I wanted to say to her during the next days. I'd wanted a two-way conversation. I'd wanted to hear her say "I love you" to me one more time. That didn't happen.
I knew she heard me, and I knew she knew I was there. She fluttered her eyelids when I spoke. One time, she sat upright in bed when I came to visit. I brought valentines each day and read them aloud to her. I knew this would be the last Valentine's Day we'd have together and wanted her to know how much I loved her.
I brought her colorful balloons that said "Happy Valentine's Day" and "I Love You" on them. My spiritual sister, who suddenly passed away five weeks after my mom, had suggested I get myself some balloons before my mom became ill. I brought those balloons with me. They floated to the ceiling, symbols of my love to stay with my mom when I was away from her bedside.
She passed away on February 13. The funeral and burial, in keeping with Jewish tradition, took place the next day. Valentine's Day.
I didn't get a chance to thank all her caregivers after she passed away. They treated her with the love and respect I'd wanted for her. One of her caregivers, a beautiful young woman named Penny, was on duty when I called about a month ago. Penny knew how difficult it was for me to be away from my mom for financial reasons. She'd left her family in Africa to move to America to make money to send home.
I thanked Penny for all she'd done to help my mom. I told her she was one of my mom's favorites and that I felt a special connection with her as well.
And Penny gave me a great and unexpected gift. She read my mind, and she read my heart.
She said, "Your mother knew how much you loved her. She always said to me, 'I know Sheryl loves me because she always says it to me when she gets off the phone."
My mom was unable to speak these words to me at the end of her life. Thank God that Penny could.
Never underestimate the power of saying "I love you" to your loved ones, with or without dementia.
Sheryl Lynn is the author of the upcoming book "The Light Is A Thank You," which chronicles the spiritual journey through dementia she has taken with her mother, Eleanor. She is the host of "Glow With The Flow Radio Show," currently on hiatus.
Keeping The Love Alive: The Power of "I Love You"
When I was growing up, my parents and I never said "I love you" to each other. Some families say things like "I love you" to each other. Some families don't...
Sheryl Lynn
Alzheimer's Reading Room
We didn't.
My mom and I were never close. That changed when I hit my mid-forties. I don't generally select the normal route through life, but my experiences caused me to go with the flow. I had my very own mid-life crisis. I decided to challenge my mom to fully step into the role of mom to help me through it. Her life experiences had deeply damaged her, and I'd been cautioned by her parents and her brothers to not put any pressure on her to do more than she did.
My mom and I were never close. That changed when I hit my mid-forties. I don't generally select the normal route through life, but my experiences caused me to go with the flow. I had my very own mid-life crisis. I decided to challenge my mom to fully step into the role of mom to help me through it. Her life experiences had deeply damaged her, and I'd been cautioned by her parents and her brothers to not put any pressure on her to do more than she did.
Well, her parents were now dead. So was her younger brother. Her older brother lived thousands of miles away. What did I have to lose"
I told her, "Mom, I'm going through a tough time and I need a mom. The family has always taught me not to put pressure on you. They told me you were a porcelain doll. They're dead now. You're still here. That tells me something important. I think you can handle it now. Will you be my mom and help me?"
Bless her, she stepped up to the challenge. We gradually formed a close bond with each other, made that much sweeter because it took over forty years to develop.
I decided, only forty-three years into our relationship, that it was time for us to say "I love you" to each other. The words awkwardly rolled off my tongue the first few times I said them to her. You'd think I was speaking a foreign language. I was. I didn't ask her to do it, but she eventually began to say the words back to me.
Wow, that felt weird. We'd never done that before. But the more we said it to each other, the better it felt to me. We got into the habit of ending each phone conversation by saying "I love you." It took her longer than it took me for it to feel good to her, but after enough time passed, I felt the happiness in her voice when she said it back to me. When we saw each other, we'd say it before we went to sleep. We got used to ending our days saying it to each other. It felt wonderful to finally have that kind of relationship with my mom, that we could say those powerful words to each other.
Then she fell.
My mom's head injury made her different.
She'd still say "I love you" to me, but the words now carried more fear than love. "I love you" now meant "Will you still be there for me, even though we both know I'm not what I used to be?"
No problem. True love never dies.
The head injury triggered the onset of dementia.
We'd still say the words to each other each day. We both needed to hear them, and we both needed to say them.
When I was no longer able to care for her, I said the words more often to her. Thank you, guilt.
I wanted her to know I still loved her even though I was unable to give her the care she now needed. It was so hard for me to hand her over to the care of strangers, even though I knew it was the right thing for both of us. The only words I now had to connect our hearts was "I love you." She always said it back to me. I knew she didn't judge me for what I was unable to do, even though I judged myself.
When she moved into the memory care unit at the assisted living facility, I made a point of saying the words at the end of each conversation. I'd have to say them louder now. There were constant distractions around her. It was hard for her to stay focused on what I was saying.
Her dementia and related conditions were slowly getting worse. Her deterioration never got in the way of our saying the words to each other. I'd walk into the living room at her facility to visit with her. Her eyes sparkled, and a big smile brightened her face when she saw me. She'd call out my name with the greatest joy. "SHERYL!!!!!"
Her love for me warmed all who saw us together. She'd become so loving when the clouds created by the illness parted to allow her true self to show through. After a lifetime of being afraid of being hurt by opening her heart to love, she radiated love.
On February 9 of this year, I got the phone call I knew would eventually come. The nurse at the facility told me my mom was dying and asked what decisions I wanted to make for end of life care. Her doctor, her nurse and I decided to keep her as comfortable as possible in her own bed. Hospice showed up within a few hours. They provided her with magnificent care. The staff loved my mom. They grieved her imminent death along with me and gave her beautiful support during her final days.
I drove way over the speed limit to get to her in time. I called her facility while I was driving to her. The nurse held her cell phone to my mom's ear so I could ask her to hold on if she possibly could, that I was on my way, that I loved her so much. The nurse said my mom smiled when she heard my voice, and her smile got bigger when I said "I love you." By the time I got to her, she was in a coma. I held her hand, saying everything I wanted to say to her during the next days. I'd wanted a two-way conversation. I'd wanted to hear her say "I love you" to me one more time. That didn't happen.
I knew she heard me, and I knew she knew I was there. She fluttered her eyelids when I spoke. One time, she sat upright in bed when I came to visit. I brought valentines each day and read them aloud to her. I knew this would be the last Valentine's Day we'd have together and wanted her to know how much I loved her.
I brought her colorful balloons that said "Happy Valentine's Day" and "I Love You" on them. My spiritual sister, who suddenly passed away five weeks after my mom, had suggested I get myself some balloons before my mom became ill. I brought those balloons with me. They floated to the ceiling, symbols of my love to stay with my mom when I was away from her bedside.
She passed away on February 13. The funeral and burial, in keeping with Jewish tradition, took place the next day. Valentine's Day.
I didn't get a chance to thank all her caregivers after she passed away. They treated her with the love and respect I'd wanted for her. One of her caregivers, a beautiful young woman named Penny, was on duty when I called about a month ago. Penny knew how difficult it was for me to be away from my mom for financial reasons. She'd left her family in Africa to move to America to make money to send home.
I thanked Penny for all she'd done to help my mom. I told her she was one of my mom's favorites and that I felt a special connection with her as well.
And Penny gave me a great and unexpected gift. She read my mind, and she read my heart.
She said, "Your mother knew how much you loved her. She always said to me, 'I know Sheryl loves me because she always says it to me when she gets off the phone."
My mom was unable to speak these words to me at the end of her life. Thank God that Penny could.
Never underestimate the power of saying "I love you" to your loved ones, with or without dementia.
Sheryl Lynn is the author of the upcoming book "The Light Is A Thank You," which chronicles the spiritual journey through dementia she has taken with her mother, Eleanor. She is the host of "Glow With The Flow Radio Show," currently on hiatus.
Strategies To Help Ease Communication Struggles
Repost from
Ability for Life
Alzheimer’s Disease and Communication Strategies to help ease Communication Struggles
Posted in Aging at Home on February 8, 2011 by Kathy
Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia often make communication attempts downright depressing. With short-term memory loss, it can become painful to connect with someone who seems ‘not there.’ However: there are strategies and tools that can turn darkness into light. What it often takes is a change of attitude, perspective and expectations on the part of the family.
The Alzheimer’s Reading Room gives 10 tips for communicating with Alzheimer’s patients, including: “Keep an even and upbeat tone: As other senses diminish, Alzheimer’s patients are hyper tuned into emotions and may mirror yours if you’re impatient, upset, anxious or angry.”
The Alzheimer’s patient often asks the same question. Over and over. Consider note-writing to make this less stressful for both of you. Yes, a simple ‘text message’ on paper can relieve the burden of short-term memory loss. A Parade Magazine article shows the positive effect of literally writing answers to questions that get asked a million times and giving them to the patient.
Doing something that gives purpose is a universal need, and can make a huge difference in connecting and communicating with Alzheimer’s patients. Purpose takes many forms, as care-giver Tina Murphy illustrates in her creative solutions to her father in law’s need for ‘purpose’.
Creativity is a wonderful outlet that gives purpose and provides a mechanism for communicating:the DVD I remember better when I paint shows the power of creative expression bypassing limitations. A doctor reminds us: before children can properly express their feelings in words, artwork can speak for them. Another organization, Artists for Alzheimer’s is dedicated to the impact of the arts while Music Therapist, Amy Clement Cortez uses music to communicate feelings and foster relationships.
Memory Bridge is devoted to finding and keeping the human inside the disease. Watch videos on the Memory Bridge Facebook page, and learn as Naomi Feil unlocks the person inside and communicates through touch, being in tune with physical ‘cues’ and a gospel song.
The Alzheimer’s Association “Principles for a Dignified Diagnosis of Dementia” includes a reminder that “Alzheimer’s is a journey, not a destination.“
Take away:
Meet the Alzheimer’s patient where ‘they’ are: don’t argue or try to convince them
Remember: it’s worse for them than for you
There’s still a person locked inside
Christina Pochmursky TV Producer/Director, whose mother had Alzheimer’s said “Get over what you’re feeling. What they’re feeling is more important.”
I’ll welcome adding other communication strategies .
©Kathy Kastner
Ability for Life
Alzheimer’s Disease and Communication Strategies to help ease Communication Struggles
Posted in Aging at Home on February 8, 2011 by Kathy
Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia often make communication attempts downright depressing. With short-term memory loss, it can become painful to connect with someone who seems ‘not there.’ However: there are strategies and tools that can turn darkness into light. What it often takes is a change of attitude, perspective and expectations on the part of the family.
The Alzheimer’s Reading Room gives 10 tips for communicating with Alzheimer’s patients, including: “Keep an even and upbeat tone: As other senses diminish, Alzheimer’s patients are hyper tuned into emotions and may mirror yours if you’re impatient, upset, anxious or angry.”
The Alzheimer’s patient often asks the same question. Over and over. Consider note-writing to make this less stressful for both of you. Yes, a simple ‘text message’ on paper can relieve the burden of short-term memory loss. A Parade Magazine article shows the positive effect of literally writing answers to questions that get asked a million times and giving them to the patient.
Doing something that gives purpose is a universal need, and can make a huge difference in connecting and communicating with Alzheimer’s patients. Purpose takes many forms, as care-giver Tina Murphy illustrates in her creative solutions to her father in law’s need for ‘purpose’.
Creativity is a wonderful outlet that gives purpose and provides a mechanism for communicating:the DVD I remember better when I paint shows the power of creative expression bypassing limitations. A doctor reminds us: before children can properly express their feelings in words, artwork can speak for them. Another organization, Artists for Alzheimer’s is dedicated to the impact of the arts while Music Therapist, Amy Clement Cortez uses music to communicate feelings and foster relationships.
Memory Bridge is devoted to finding and keeping the human inside the disease. Watch videos on the Memory Bridge Facebook page, and learn as Naomi Feil unlocks the person inside and communicates through touch, being in tune with physical ‘cues’ and a gospel song.
The Alzheimer’s Association “Principles for a Dignified Diagnosis of Dementia” includes a reminder that “Alzheimer’s is a journey, not a destination.“
Take away:
Meet the Alzheimer’s patient where ‘they’ are: don’t argue or try to convince them
Remember: it’s worse for them than for you
There’s still a person locked inside
Christina Pochmursky TV Producer/Director, whose mother had Alzheimer’s said “Get over what you’re feeling. What they’re feeling is more important.”
I’ll welcome adding other communication strategies .
©Kathy Kastner
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Why worry about elder abuse?
Image by United Way of the Lower Mainland via Flickr"If you know 20 seniors, one of them is being abused."
~ testimony by Dr. Mark Lachs before the Senate Aging Committee
1 in 42 cases are reported.
Be the eyes, ears, and most of all, the VOICE!
Aging.Senate.gov
Friday, April 15, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Self Care for the Dementia and Alzheimer's Caregiver | Caring.com
"It's really important to pay attention to feedback from others," he says. Too often, it seems, observations – from a partner, a child, a sibling, a best friend – that a situation is less than stellar or that the person giving care is struggling are heard the wrong way by caregivers.Read the entire article here: Self Care for the Dementia and Alzheimer's Caregiver | Caring.com.
The natural response: Defensiveness! Anger! Hearing fightin' words!
The better response: Consider those words to be a gift, Robbins says. "View such comments as a kindness, that someone is being kind enough to give feedback, even if it sounds critical." And then, he adds: "Accept what you hear at face value and ask yourself what the person must have seen in order to say that."
Related Articles
- Alzheimer's Caregivers: The Sandwich Generation (webmd.com)
- Self Care for the Dementia and Alzheimer's Caregiver | Caring.com (larkkirkwood.wordpress.com)
- Survey Says Caregiving a Chance to Give Back (caregiving.com)
- Inspiring Caregiver Awards (circleofcarehomecare.wordpress.com)
- Families struggling with dementia salute Kleins' decision to go public with diagnosis (canada.com)
- Number of Alzheimer's Caregivers Is Increasing (webmd.com)
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Music aids Alzheimer's patients in remembering new information
Music aids Alzheimer's patients in remembering new information
Boston University Medical Center
Public release: 12-May-2010
Contact: Gina DiGravio
gina.digravio@bmc.org
617-638-8480
(Boston) – Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have shown that patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are better able to remember new verbal information when it is provided in the context of music even when compared to healthy, older adults. The findings, which currently appear on-line in Neuropsychologia, offer possible applications in treating and caring for patients with AD.
AD, the most common form of dementia, is characterized by a general, progressive decline in cognitive function that typically presents first as impaired episodic memory. The onset and rate of this decline tends to vary across cognitive domains, and some functions may be preferentially spared in patients with AD.
To determine whether music can enhance new learning of information, AD patients and healthy controls were presented with either the words spoken, or the lyrics sung with full musical accompaniment along with the printed lyrics on a computer screen. The participants were presented visually with the lyrics to 40 songs. Twenty of the song lyrics were accompanied by their corresponding sung recording and 20 were accompanied by their spoken recording.
After each presentation, participants were asked to indicate whether or not they were previously familiar with the song they had just heard. The BUSM researchers found accuracy was greater in the sung condition than in the spoken condition for AD patients but not for healthy older controls.
"Our results confirmed our hypothesis that patients with AD performed better on a task of recognition memory for the lyrics of songs when those lyrics were accompanied by a sung recording than when they were accompanied by a spoken recording," said senior author Brandon Ally, PhD, an assistant professor of neurology and director of Neuropsychology Research at the BUSM Center for Translational Cognitive Neuroscience. "However, contrary to our hypothesis, healthy older adults showed no such benefit of music, he added.
These results suggest a fundamental difference in the encoding and retrieval processes for musical versus nonmusical stimuli between patients with AD and healthy older adults. "Music processing encompasses a complex neural network that recruits from all areas of the brain, that are affected at a slower rate in AD compared to the areas of the brain typically associated with memory. Thus, stimuli accompanied by music and a sung recording may create a more robust association at encoding than do stimuli accompanied by only a spoken recording in patients with AD," explained Ally.
According to the researchers understanding the nature of musical processing and memory in patients with AD may allow the development of effective and comprehensive therapies for this increasingly prevalent disease.
This research was supported by National Institute on Aging.
Boston University Medical Center
Public release: 12-May-2010
Contact: Gina DiGravio
gina.digravio@bmc.org
617-638-8480
(Boston) – Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have shown that patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are better able to remember new verbal information when it is provided in the context of music even when compared to healthy, older adults. The findings, which currently appear on-line in Neuropsychologia, offer possible applications in treating and caring for patients with AD.
AD, the most common form of dementia, is characterized by a general, progressive decline in cognitive function that typically presents first as impaired episodic memory. The onset and rate of this decline tends to vary across cognitive domains, and some functions may be preferentially spared in patients with AD.
To determine whether music can enhance new learning of information, AD patients and healthy controls were presented with either the words spoken, or the lyrics sung with full musical accompaniment along with the printed lyrics on a computer screen. The participants were presented visually with the lyrics to 40 songs. Twenty of the song lyrics were accompanied by their corresponding sung recording and 20 were accompanied by their spoken recording.
After each presentation, participants were asked to indicate whether or not they were previously familiar with the song they had just heard. The BUSM researchers found accuracy was greater in the sung condition than in the spoken condition for AD patients but not for healthy older controls.
"Our results confirmed our hypothesis that patients with AD performed better on a task of recognition memory for the lyrics of songs when those lyrics were accompanied by a sung recording than when they were accompanied by a spoken recording," said senior author Brandon Ally, PhD, an assistant professor of neurology and director of Neuropsychology Research at the BUSM Center for Translational Cognitive Neuroscience. "However, contrary to our hypothesis, healthy older adults showed no such benefit of music, he added.
These results suggest a fundamental difference in the encoding and retrieval processes for musical versus nonmusical stimuli between patients with AD and healthy older adults. "Music processing encompasses a complex neural network that recruits from all areas of the brain, that are affected at a slower rate in AD compared to the areas of the brain typically associated with memory. Thus, stimuli accompanied by music and a sung recording may create a more robust association at encoding than do stimuli accompanied by only a spoken recording in patients with AD," explained Ally.
According to the researchers understanding the nature of musical processing and memory in patients with AD may allow the development of effective and comprehensive therapies for this increasingly prevalent disease.
This research was supported by National Institute on Aging.
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