It’s gardening time again at Chelsea Place Memory Care! That means growing flowers, plants and vegetables. Linden Mathews, a WWII veteran and resident of Chelsea Place Memory Care led fellow residents in building a unique tomato cage, based on his own patented construction model. It was part of their “gardening day” activities.
If you have a loved one who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or other form of dementia, you may at some point begin looking into memory care communities. Memory care brings together highly skilled and compassionate professionals whose goal is to provide individuals challenged by dementia with an environment that is enriching, fulfilling and purpose-driven.
At the center of most memory care communities are what we call life engagement directors. Why are these individuals so important to the daily lives of residents? They are responsible for many things including the following:
Recently, one of our own life engagement directors, Jennifer Boonstra with Porter Place Memory Care in Tinley Park, Illinois was honored with a special award during Evolve 2021, a conference hosted by Senior Living Foresight. It was a peer-nominated award recognizing those professionals who have gone above and beyond to raise morale and keep residents safe.
Upon receiving the award, Jennifer was asked what motivates her each day in her demanding, yet fulfilling work. She had this to say, “What motivates me is giving my residents a sense of purpose. They are living here in a community and it’s not just about providing activities. It’s about joy, whether those are little moments of joy that last about one minute or giving them an opportunity to give back to where they live. I am motivated by seeing he smiles on their faces.”
We are so proud of Jennifer as well as all of our amazing life engagement directors who go the extra mile every day for our residents and their families.
If you are looking into memory care for a loved one, it is important to get to know the community and those who work within it yourself. As memory care communities begin to open their doors again, you will want to visit and meet with as many team members as possible. Be sure to ask questions about how they work with residents and how they will provide a purposeful, high quality of life for your loved one. And, while you’re there, don’t forget to drop in and meet the life engagement director!
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For most of us, celebrations represent the more enjoyable parts of our lives. While some families celebrate more than others, the act of getting together and wishing someone a “happy birthday” or celebrating a graduation or special anniversary provides an opportunity to enjoy one another’s company and catch up with those you may not have seen for a while.
However, if you are caring for a loved one with dementia, you may worry that celebrations are over-stimulating, or that seeing old friends who they may not remember could raise anxiety levels. Certainly, in some cases, that’s true. However, when handled with care, celebrations have a great way of connecting a loved one to those around them. Hearing the laughter and seeing the smiles of friends and family surrounding them can bring a welcome feeling of inclusion and raise the spirits.
At Anthem Memory Care communities we are always seeking opportunities to celebrate, whether it’s a birthday, a wedding anniversary or one of many accomplishments by one of our own staff members (the top image, by the way, is of a birthday celebration at Willowbrook Place Memory Care in Littleton, Colorado).
While we love to celebrate at our communities, we also understand the importance of creating an environment that minimizes unwanted disruption and facilitates a relaxing, enjoyable experience for all.
You can do that too while including an aging loved one with dementia in family celebrations. Here are a few tips to keep in mind for your next celebration:
We thought we’d share a few wonderful images of some recent celebrations at our Anthem Memory Care communities:
Vineyard Place Memory Care, in Murrieta, California, holds a special Mardi Gras themed party to celebrate being fully vaccinated and opening their doors!
A resident of Chisholm Place Memory Care in Wichita, Kansas, helps decorate for a Valentine’s Day celebration.
A fun (and delicious) Mexican fiesta celebration rolls out at Harvester Place Memory Care in Burr Ridge, Illinois.
Remember that, whether it’s a milestone event or just a casual family get together, celebrations are important. And they can, with a little advanced planning and consideration, become joyful events again, for everyone.
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May is National Stroke Awareness Month. Arming ourselves with information about strokes is important for so many reasons. But did you know that strokes can lead to a condition called vascular dementia? According to the Alzheimer’s Association, vascular dementia represents 5-10% of dementia cases but is considered the second most common type of dementia, after Alzheimer’s disease. What causes vascular dementia is the lack of sufficient blood flow to the brain typically caused by a stroke.
The symptoms of vascular dementia are, in many ways, similar to those found in Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. They are as follows:
Sometimes, rather than a single major stroke event, a stroke may manifest itself in multiple, small strokes which also affect blood vessels, along with neuro-fibers deep in the brain. The result is often a more gradual change in cognition and behavior. Early signs of this type of stroke sequence can be impaired judgement, uncontrolled crying or laughing and a shorter attention span.
If you have a loved one who has recently suffered from a stroke, make sure you are following up regularly with their physician and be on the lookout for early signs of vascular dementia. Your physician should be able to provide you with some resources. Take extra care to maintain a regular schedule for check-ups to ensure that your loved one is getting proper care and maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle.
At Anthem Memory Care communities, our teams understand how a stroke can bring with it emotional challenges as well as physical ones. We work regularly to help our residents maintain an optimum level of cognitive, emotional and physical health. That’s why we recommend that family caregivers take extra care to be patient and supportive of a loved one recovering from a stroke and keep alert for any cognitive issues that might begin to arise.
Being proactive can make all the difference!
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Bella Tegtmeier was given a high school assignment to write a paper on something she was passionate about. For Bella, that would be animals and their ability to ease anxiety, depression and long term illness. As part of her project, she decided to take her friend’s dog, Boone, to visit local Morningside Place Memory Care. The results produced so much more than a school paper! Local KSHB TV News covered the visit. You can read all about it here:
https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/high-schoolers-project-brings-dogs-to-seniors
(top image is courtesy of KSHB TV)
Since 1970, we’ve been celebrating Earth Day to put a special focus on the environment and our roles in protecting the natural world we live in. Today, Earth Day is celebrated by over 193 countries and billions of people worldwide.
While Earth Day was designed to be a single day’s event, in recent years it’s taken on greater significance and has expanded to include awareness events throughout the entire month of April. Everyone can take part in Earth Day events and activities. Residents of memory care communities are no exception.
At Porter Place Memory Care in Tinley Park, Illinois, residents and staff members decided to celebrate Earth Day with something special. They got to work planting flower seedlings in bio-degradable coconut pots. The goal was to give them out to local members of the community who stop by to visit. The residents planted 64 flowers and, by noon, half had already been taken!
The event was covered by local Tinley Park newspaper, The Patch, which sent a reporter to speak with Meredith Morris, community relations director for Porter Place. “Volunteering to help the greater community has always been important for our residents,” Meredith told The Patch. “Gardens can make a difference for all of us by promoting a healthy, sustainable planet.”
It was important for the team at Porter Place to engage the residents in a purposeful activity for Earth Day that not only supports a clean environment, but reaches out to the greater community to get them involved as well.
“We wanted the event to represent nourishing the earth, in the same way that we really try and take care of our own residents in this community,” Meredith said.
At Anthem Memory Care communities we always strive to engage our residents in meaningful activities that involve the greater community whenever possible. We believe that a connected community can better serve the needs of all its residents. A big part of that is giving back in creative ways to encourage relationships between our community and those around us.
If you are caring for a loved one with dementia, look for opportunities for them to give back to your greater community. It will help restore a much needed sense of purpose and help them keep connected to you, your family and the world around them.
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To celebrate spring, local Aurora Girl Scout Troop 65343 visited Willowbrook Place Memory Care residents with boxes of cookies in tow. The residents had created gifts of bouquets for the girls in exchange for boxes of their delicious treats. Everyone had a great time and can’t wait for next year to do it all over again!
The event was covered by local Denver7 and you can watch the video here:
The residents and staff of Porter Place Memory care wanted to do something special for Earth Day this year. So they got to work repotting seedlings and turning them into lovely living floral creations in biodegradable pots, which they gave out to those who stopped by to visit.
The event was covered by The Patch, and you can read the full article here:
https://patch.com/illinois/tinleypark/tinley-park-memory-care-residents-help-community-nourish-earth
How do you celebrate vaccinated residents and staff being able to hug their family members again? How about a wearing masks of another variety at a Mardi Gras themed party? That’s exactly what Vineyard Place Memory Care did to celebrate the recent opening up of their doors.
The event was covered by the Press Enterprise. You can read about it here:
https://www.pe.com/2021/04/21/residents-of-murrieta-community-see-their-families-in-person-again
Don’t Assume Mom “Can’t”: Empowering Those Living with Dementia
At our Anthem Memory Care communities our goal is to empower our residents to live full, vibrant lives. While we acknowledge that everyone varies in his or her abilities, we believe that every resident deserves to be treated with respect and should be encouraged to participate in activities that are meaningful to them. That often includes planning activities, outings and even providing input on weekly menus at our communities.
The image on top is of a menu planning session at Chelsea Place Memory Care, in Aurora, Colorado. You’ll notice residents along with staff and the head chef, working together to plan the week’s menu. Not only are these residents capable of making these decisions, they contribute some great ideas as well.
There is a tendency, when a loved one is diagnosed with dementia, to assume that they can no longer think for themselves. Certainly, in mid to later stages, cognitive impairment begins to reach a level where decisions will need to be made for them. However, in the meantime, it’s important to make the most of your loved one’s abilities and encourage as much independence as possible.
Here are some tips to help you get out of the vicious “can’t” assumption cycle:
There is no doubt that your aging loved one with dementia will need more assistance in the months to come. And, yet, a diagnosis of dementia shouldn’t be looked at as a light being turned from “on” to “off”. There are stages to this disease. That’s why it’s so important to resist those assumptions that you must immediately take over every facet of their lives. They still have opinions and ideas. Let them share them with you.
At our communities, we have many residents who continue to do things they have always enjoyed in their younger years; this includes activities such as fishing, basketball, painting, writing, gardening, reading; the list goes on. As long as they are able to do these things and enjoy doing them, we will continue to be dedicated to empowering them.
There is more than one reason we are so thrilled to have our residents and staff vaccinated. The most important, of course, is to keep residents and staff at all of our communities safe and healthy. But vaccinations bring a level of freedom we haven’t seen in well over a year. Our doors are opening, our vans are filling up and we’re taking off again on long overdue field trips.
Recently, residents of Highline Place Memory Care in Littleton, Colorado, took advantage of a “free donut a day for vaccinated patrons” deal from Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. The outing drew the attention of local CBS Channel 4 in Denver, who sent a reporter and camera crew to film the event. Who would have thought that a simple visit to a doughnut shop would bring so much joy?
“Our residents have sacrificed a lot over the past 12 months to ensure COVID safety and they have done so with tremendous strength and grace,” Jodi Cornman, senior community relations director for Highline Place told Channel 4 news. “What they have been through makes this more than just an outing for a snack with friends. It is an opportunity to return to the pleasures of normal life and demonstrate how important it is for people to get vaccinated.”
Here are a couple more of our wonderful outings. There will be more to share with warmer days ahead!
It’s picnic time for residents of Chelsea Place Memory Care in Aurora, Colorado.
Another Highline Place outing; a bus trip to take in the views and the local wildlife.
For those of you with aging parents, especially those who have been isolated over the last year, a return to the joys of being physically together again is more than welcome. While we should continue to wear masks in public places in respect for the health concerns of others who are not vaccinated, we can once again enjoy physical contact, which is so important, especially for those living with dementia.
So, here’s to a summer of ballgames, picnics, walks in the park, movies, dining out and all those other activities that we once took for granted. We certainly won’t anymore!
(The top image for this article is of Highline Place residents enjoying their outing to the local Krispy Kreme doughnut shop, courtesy of CBS Channel 4, Denver)
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Vaccinations are bringing field trips back again! Recently, residents and staff of Highline Place Memory Care took advantage of a “free donut a day for vaccinated patrons” deal from Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. The outing drew the attention of local CBS Channel 4 in Denver, who sent a reporter and camera crew to film the event. Who would have thought that a simple visit to a doughnut shop would bring so much joy?
Access the full article from Channel 4 here. https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/vaccinated-memory-care-residents-visit-krispy-kreme-in-first-outing-during-pandemic/ar-BB1ffMYx
We all know that old postcards, newspaper clippings and photographs are almost guaranteed to spark memories, often about things we thought we had forgotten. The ability of mementos to unlock old memories can be especially powerful for those who live with Alzheimer’s disease.
At our Anthem Memory Care communities, we enjoy learning as much as possible about the lives of our residents and work with family members to keep memories alive. We also encourage family members to organize their loved ones’ mementos and photographs in a manner that makes them quickly accessible. These “memory boxes” of treasures collected over the years typically include items that have developed special meaning to family and friends. If you are a family caregiver, you might consider creating a memory box for your loved one with dementia. They are not difficult to put together and the smiles they bring are well worth the effort.
The Mayo Clinic covered the topic of memory boxes and had a few good suggestions we thought we’d share:
There are almost unlimited sources for items to include in your loved one’s memory box. Consider important papers, certificates, personal letters and greeting cards collected over the years. And you will want to add to your memory box as you uncover more treasures.
Remember, the key is to keep your memory box (or boxes) in a place where it is easily retrieved, so don’t keep it locked away or stored in a closet. Items that spark memories for a loved one with dementia deserve a place right in the center of activity. You will find yourself pulling their memory box out often and you and other family members will grow to appreciate its ability to connect you to your loved one, enjoying every precious memory that remains intact.
Have you ever been more thrilled to see spring finally arrive? We certainly are! Of course, in some of our communities, we’re still waiting (impatiently) for the last bits of snow to melt and more sunlight to flood our courtyards. But spring is officially here and we’re eager to make the most of it.
Warmer weather and more sunlight are, of course, beneficial for everyone, but especially for those living with dementia. Long winter days of stormy, cold weather can lead to depression and increased anxiety. When the sun comes out, even for a few minutes, its ability to so quickly lift the spirits and improve morale is amazing.
There is a good reason for this. Studies have shown that fresh air and sunlight can improve oxygen flow to the brain. This increases awareness and can sharpen cognition. Direct sun improves mood and can lead to healthier sleep patterns as well. And warm breezes, along with birds and flowers stimulate the senses, which can help reduce anxiety and restlessness.
At Anthem Memory Care communities, we are big believers in adding as many outdoor experiences for our residents as possible. That’s why we’ve designed our buildings to provide lots of opportunity for residents to safely explore outdoor areas and gardens. And, of course, we all love a good game of croquet or sharpening our skills on the putting greens.
We’re looking forward, as the weather warms up, to sharing even more photos like these:
Gardening at Grace Point Place…
Soaking up some rays at Willowbrook Place…
Outdoor serenade in the courtyard at Vineyard Place!
This Chelsea Place croquet match has a winner!
The weather gets a big thumbs up from this resident of Morningside Place.
As we look forward to warmer days ahead, we look forward to more time spent enjoying them. If you care for a loved one who is living with dementia, even if they have never been known as an “outdoor person” try to arrange for activities that are conducive to being outside, whether it’s a short walk or sitting with a book or magazine. The more fresh air and sunshine, the better.
By the way, that goes for caregivers too. Why not join them?
(The image at the top of this blog is of a resident of Porter Place Memory Care at his favorite fishing hole!)
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As we continue to heal and rebound from the challenges of the pandemic, we are all on the lookout for activities and events that will bring a smile and, hopefully, even some laughter into our lives.
Chelsea Place Memory Care in Aurora Colorado seized an opportunity to do just that. It came in the form of a visit by Mark Hall, a talented local caricature artist.
Now, if you’ve ever had your caricature done, you know how fun the process is, as the artist proceeds to build out a humorous portrait, accentuating your (best and worst) features, often eliciting comments such as, “I don’t look like that….do I?” Having your own caricature done or watching the artist sketch others seldom fails to bring out the good-humor and fun in everyone.
To conform with CDC health requirements, Mark Hall positioned himself outside on the Chelsea Place patio while residents came out, one by one, to have their portraits sketched. All agreed that the results really captured the residents’ unique personalities. It was a fun day that got all the Chelsea Place residents and staff talking and chuckling at themselves and each other.
Below is a composite of three amazing caricatures…
Molly, on the far right, is Chelsea Place’s new life engagement assistant. That’s Ken, her grandfather, on her right. Ken is a resident of Chelsea Place!
The event was covered by a reporter from local TV station, KDVR, who interviewed life engagement director, Jenni Dill right before Mark began his work. “With pandemic safety protocols still in effect, he can’t come inside and meet the residents before sketching them,” she told the reporter. “We think with this approach and his talent, he will be able to create compelling portraits that convey the fullness of each person.”
He certainly did!
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