Enter Their World - NATIONAL CAREGIVERS DAY

Today is a special day! It honors the millions of CAREGIVERS out there. You are valued, and appreciated. Here are some of my most helpful tips!

Alzheimer's causes a lot of perceptual changes.  Here are some tips!

Not feeling they at home

-ask a few questions about their home from the past

-talk about their prior home as though they STILL live there

-do not correct them

(When a loved one is at a moderate or severe stage of Alzheimer's disease YOU need to change, not the person. It is kinder to accept the stage they are living in, rather than trying to convince them about the facts.)

ENTER THEIR WORLD

(I have been advising this tip since I was 9 years old, which is 5 years ago. )

When my grandfather died, my grandma kept asking about when he is "coming home". When we told her the truth she started to cry. It was awful. Finally we started telling her that "grandpa is at work". She smiled and stopped crying.

-If your loved one says "it's raining" on a sunny day, smile and offer an umbrella. 

-If your loved one says that it is "night", agree!  It is not worth it.  Their short term memory is not working properly. You cannot "orient them" to time and space. So go along for the ride into THEIR WORLD.

To RECAP tips:

-"Enter their world" ask your loved one to tell you about the things the DO remember

-Try not to correct the person if they are confused, accept their way of thinking

-Distract your loved one by giving them a hug, a drink or agreeing with their version of the story

If you have LOVE as the motivation for your actions it becomes super easy!

Alzheimer's Stamp

 As of the end of January 2022, more than 9.7 million #AlzheimersStamps have been sold, bringing the total revenue raised to more than $1.2 million. By law, 100 percent of the net amount raised is transferred to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support research and medical discoveries in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease

To purchase stamps click here

Marginalized Youth Caregivers In the Front Lines

 I just read this article from TEEN VOGUE which speaks about Black and Brown youth caregivers who took on the role of caring for relatives during COVID.

I learned a few shocking stats:

-They are disproportionately engaged in family caregiving roles (in particular girls and girl identifying youth)

-perform greater caregiving tasks in their home (while parents are working or ill from the virus)

Youth Caregivers are at risk for depression, anxiety compared to peers who do not have caregiving roles.

We need a federal Youth Caregivers Taskforce made up of:

-social workers

-researchers

-representation from youth caregivers

Marginalized from society they need dedicated federal and state dollars to fund mental health counselors in every school and social services to support youth caregivers.

:Click here to read the full article

Wonderful Smiles

 We are so happy that the residents in JK House of Grace Assisted Living has been enjoying the puzzles that we sent to them! We are excited to start our PUZZLE TIME program pairing students and Alzheimer's patients for an hour of jigsaw puzzle solving! It is wonderful to see the smiles after a completed puzzle!

International Day of Women and Girls

 I thank all the women who are working in research and science who are making the world better for all of us. I hope to be one of them someday! #diversityequityinclusion

Calling All Bar/Bat Mitzvah Kids!

 Calling on all Bar/Bat Mitzvah kids! Looking to help Alzheimer's patients with a fun and joyful mitzvah? Collect jigsaw puzzles for Alzheimer's patients! Attach our flier to the collection box at the service! Ask guests to donate puzzles in lieu of gifts!

Those puzzles can be part of our Puzzle Time program pairing youth members and Alzheimer's patients for an hour of jigsaw puzzle solving! Community service hours are awarded and the Alzheimer's patients have companionship and stimulation!

Reach out to us at Puzzles2remember@gmail.com for more information! Or fill out the form on our website!