Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Queens Examiner


Hello!  I would like to share another article from the Queens Examiner.

.http://www.queensexaminer.com/view/full_story/27337225/article-LIC-youth-honored-for-service--supporting-caregivers?instance=home_news_bullets




LIC youth honored for service, supporting caregivers
by Benjamin Fang
Dec 27, 2016 | 2190 views | 0 0 comments | 141 141 recommendations | email to a friend | print
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When nine-year-old Hailey Richman was four, her grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Her mother Emma looked online to find where her young daughter could go for support by talking with other kids who were going through the same thing. She couldn’t find any.

That’s when they decided to start their own organization. In February, Hailey started a support group and blog called Kid Caregivers.

“I can tell them about how I feel about people with Alzheimer’s disease and they can respond,” Richman said. “They can ask me for help and everything. They get advice, tips and ideas from me.”

The Long Island City native, who is now in the fourth grade, said she felt sad when she found out her grandmother had Alzheimer’s. Her mother explained what it was and what could happen.

“All the memories she had of me are going to be gone,” she said.

In her blog posts, Richman frequently shares photos of her interactions with her grandma. They eat together, solve puzzles and participate in arts and crafts.

She also shares tips about how young people can help people coping with the debilitating disease. She advises caregivers to “go into their world” and not to argue.

Richman said her grandmother has sometimes called her Emma, her mother’s name, but she doesn’t correct her. She just goes along with it.

“Make the person feel useful,” Richman wrote in a February 27th blog post. “I told my grandma that I needed her help and she stopped being difficult and was happy to help me.”

Richman also said talking to them about their favorite things, what they like to do, and music also helps. One day, she put headphones on her grandma and played music from her iPod shuffle.

“Throughout the whole day, she kept singing her tunes,” Richman said. “She started talking about music from the 1940s. She started talking about true things that happened in her childhood.”

Kid Caregivers’ mission has spread around the world. Richman said her blog has viewers from Iraq, Russia, China and India. Children from Germany and Africa have participated in the support group as well.

“My favorite part about Kid Caregivers is helping people and seeing how happy they are,” Richman said. “I learned that they all have the same feelings as me and they all want to help.

“I want everybody to know that they’re not alone,” she added.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than 5 million people in the United States live with Alzheimer’s disease. As a progressive disease, the illness begins with mild memory loss, but could worsen to the loss of ability to carry on a conversation or respond to the environment.

Symptoms such as memory loss, getting lost, repeating questions, misplacing things and taking longer to complete daily tasks usually first appear after the age of 60, but the risk increases with age.

By 2050, the number of people suffering from Alzheimer’s is projected to reach 14 million. There is no known cure for Alzheimer’s, and it is currently the sixth leading cause of death among U.S. adults.

That means many families like the Richmans are taking the time to care for their loved ones. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 15 million people identified as caregivers nationwide in 2015, dedicating approximately 18 million hours of care.

Emma Richman clarified that her daughter isn’t involved in the “heavy duty” and hygiene aspects of caregiving. Her role is more about mentally stimulating, entertaining and spending time with her grandmother.

In addition to running Kid Caregivers, Richman is also the assistant director of a nonprofit organization called Puzzles to Remember, which provides puzzles to nursing homes, veteran facilities, and other places that care for patients with dementia.

According to the organization’s website, puzzles have a “calming effect” on patients, and Richman said she has seen this firsthand. She volunteers at a senior center two times a week, and if she has time off from school, she visits up to four times a week.

“It helps their brain because even though the puzzles are really easy, it keeps them calm,” she said. “They solve it and it relaxes them. Solving [puzzles] improves their mood.”

All of her work didn’t go unnoticed. In November, Hasbro, the toy and board game company, honored Richman as one of 10 nationwide “Community Action Heroes.” The accolade is given to youth who have demonstrated qualities like kindness, courage and leadership in their communities.

Each honoree received a $1,000 educational scholarship and a $500 grant to their selected nonprofit.

“I feel amazing and super excited,” Richman said about winning the award.

With the $500, Richman said she will help purchase more puzzles to distribute at nursing homes and care facilities.

Richman also received the President’s Community Service Award and the Giraffe Project Heroes Award. On December 12, Richman appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” with actor Will Smith, who was talking about his inspiration behind the film “Collateral Beauty.”

On air, Richman spoke about her work helping people with Alzheimer’s disease.

And she’s not done yet. Richman said she’s working on a prototype for an invention called an alert system for walkers that will, hopefully, prevent dementia patients from falling. She came up with the idea after her grandma fell and hurt her eyes and nose.

“I thought if she had a walker alert all that time, we could’ve prevented her from falling,” Richman said. “We’re getting the parts and we’re constructing it.”

She’s also planning to write a book that will include a “caregiver’s kit” on how to care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease. She hopes that it will be published within the next year.

“To those much has been given, much is expected,” Richman said. “It means that since I have a lot, I try to give back. I know what it feels like to have somebody with dementia, I thought I could help other people.”
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Read more: Queens Examiner - LIC youth honored for service supporting caregivers

Amazing Kids Magazine

Hello Everyone!  I am very happy to share the news that I am the "Kid of the Month" in Amazing Kids Magazine. Here is the actual link:
http://mag.amazing-kids.org/amazing-kids-of-the-month1/amazing-kid-of-the-month-hailey-richman-april-2017/


Amazing Kid! of the Month – Hailey Richman – April 2017

By Victoria Feng, Assistant Editor and AKOM and Money Smarts Editor
Hailey Richman, 9-year-old founder of Kid Caregivers and assistant director of Puzzles to Remember

Quote of the Month

“Do not give up; do not be afraid to try something new. Believe in yourself and your abilities.”
-Hailey Richman, 9-year-old founder of Kid Caregivers and assistant director of Puzzles to Remember

April Amazing Kid! of the Month

April is when spring is in full swing. Just like the saying goes, it really is a time for April showers and May flowers. This not only says the days are rainy, but it symbolizes that we should always sprinkle a bit of love and kindness into everything we do. This April, Amazing Kids! Magazine challenges you to spread kindness everywhere and to everyone.
After caring for her grandmother with dementia, Hailey Richman wanted to help raise awareness about helping a loved one with the disease. She has started the organization Kid Caregviers and was appointed assistant director of Puzzles to Remember. These both help those with Alzheimer’s by encouraging caregivers to spend time with their loved ones and give them fun activities to do.
Read on to find out more about Hailey and her organizations!

Caring for Her Own Loved One

Hailey’s grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease when Hailey was four. Hailey helped care for her grandmother and found ways to make patients feel the most comfortable. Having Alzheimer’s does not define your life, and like Hailey says, you are still a person with feelings, just like anyone else. Patients still deserve to be cared for. She advises that Alzheimer’s patients may not remember things as well but that patients are still able to have fun despite their condition. Hailey mentions that happy times can still happen.
For Hailey, her interest in helping create a bond between patients and caregivers started with her own experience. She took care of her grandmother and provided hours of companionship and care. She knew that there were other caregivers, like kids, who were also in her situation and wanted to help their loved ones the best they could.
Unfortunately, there seemed to be no program available for kids wanting to talk to other kids about their experience caring for those with Alzheimer’s.
So, Hailey took matters into her own hands.

Solving for a Solution

Taking care of loved ones is something that is very important to Hailey, particularly kids as caregivers. So, she started the organization Kid Caregivers. It allows kids to share their experiences with one another and exchange advice and stories. Some kids might not know what to do if someone they know has dementia, and Hailey’s support group is a great place to find answers and get helpful advice.
In addition to informing kids, Hailey also brings friends to nursing homes, where seniors may feel lonely. She focuses on pairing kids with those who do not receive visitors. The Kid Caregivers and seniors have lots of fun together, doing activities that include listening to music, playing with HASBRO JOY FOR ALL robotic pets, and working on puzzles together.
Hailey believes that solving puzzles is great for those who have Alzheimer’s. It helps exercise their minds and stimulates a part of their brain that is responsible for controlling their mood.  Hailey also mentions that it gives seniors with Alzheimer’s a feeling of purpose and allows them to have a goal to complete. She has started collecting puzzles and brings them to nursing homes. She not only donates puzzles but spends quality time working on the puzzles with seniors.
Her work attracted the attention of Max Walleck, who started the organization Puzzles to Remember. It, too, helps those with dementia. Max collects puzzles, which he distributes to nursing homes. To date, he has collected over 4,000 puzzles. Hailey was inspired by his work and got the inspiration to collect puzzles.
Max recognized all of Hailey’s hard work by awarding her the position of Assistant Director at Puzzles to Remember. Together, Hailey and Max aim to provide more and more seniors puzzles and make them comfortable.

Continuing to Bridge a Connection to Those with Alzheimer’s

Hailey was awarded the GenerationOn and HASBRO Community Children’s Action award. She is really honored and excited that more people will know about Kid Caregivers and Puzzles to Remember, enabling Hailey to reach more and more Alzheimer’s patients.
Currently, Hailey is working on innovations which will benefit the Alzheimer’s community, like a memory device to prevent seniors from falling. She is also working on a book.
You, too, can help out seniors in your community by visiting nursing homes near your community. Spend a fun afternoon together working on a project or solving a puzzle, or even just talking.
Together, we can make a difference.
We wish Hailey the best of luck and know she will continue to create amazing things!

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Musicals

Grandma loved seeing me perform in Suessical! Seeing a musical is a wonderful pastime. The musical Suessical did have a real story to follow, instead it had lots of singing and dancing based on Dr. Suess books. My advice: take a loved one with AD to see a musical. Pick one that has happy, cheerful songs, without a complicated story to follow. There was a four month U.S. study in 2013. Scientists played 50 minutes of show tunes for seniors with Alzheimer's disease. The musical tunes improved the mood, and there was an increase in mental performance! Another study in Finland showed that watching and singing songs from musicals can increase mental performance! My mom helped me find the studies! For more details about the study click here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24009169

Tips


  1. Bring your loved one to see a musical
  2. Pick a show that has a happy theme
  3. Pick a well-known show that your loved one may have already viewed
  4. Take your loved one to a local school which offers musicals 
  5. Take your loved one to a community theatre show
  6. Get a song book or print up lyrics to show tunes
  7. Spend some time each day, singing a favorite song from a Broadway show
  8. Listen to a soundtrack from a broadway show, together.
  9. Some suggestions for Broadway shows: The Sound of Music, 42nd Street, Oklahoma, Gypsy, On The Town, Ragtime, Guys and Dolls, Showboat, Fiddler on the Roof, My Fair Lady, Cabaret, Man of La Mancha, South Pacific, Mary Poppins, The Music Man, Shenandoah, Damn Yankees! The Wizard of Oz