Friday, July 20, 2018

SMILING

Everyone loves a smiling face. I cannot think of anyone who does not enjoy seeing a happy smile.
People with Alzheimer's disease are especially in need of a smile.  There have been studies that show how much people with dementia like smiles. My mom found an article about a study. Here is a link to it. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3748937/  You can ask your parents to explain it to you. It basically shows how people with Alzheimer's disease were more able to remember pictures of people who were smiling!

The tip I have for this post is very simple: SMILE, and do it often around your loved one!  It is very easy to lose your patience, but having a SMILE will make YOU feel better and your loved one. 

1. Greet your loved one with a big SMILE
2. SMILE ☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️😃😃😃often
3. When it is time to say goodbye SMILE.
4. The more SMILES, the better!


Window Shopping

Window shopping is an activity that many people enjoy.  It is basically looking into storefront windows at the things for sale. People with Alzheimer's disease are able to look at items, and it does not require a good memory to do it.  Grandma used to wear gorgeous clothes, shoes and scarves. She loves fashion!  

I took my grandma to a neighborhood with stores. We looked at the dress shops. Grandma likes to share her opinion about dresses. She knows what she likes and shares her thoughts. Grandma also likes to share what she does not like, as well. 

If you have a grandpa (or male relative) who is not interested in fashion. Go to a store window that has items that they would find interesting, for example: sporting goods store, electronics store.

Tips


1. Bring your loved one to an area with lots of store windows.
2. Look through the windows and ask your loved one to point to what they like
3. Ask them why they like the outfit, shoes, scarves, computer, fishing rod,etc.