The word “remember” is shrouded in negativity, anxiety, and feelings of uncertainty for persons experiencing dementia. “Mom, you remember your neighbors, Tom and Jane? Don’t you?” All eyes are on the person with dementia, as everyone in the room is holding their breath waiting to clap for the right answer, like watching a child taking their first step.
We spend a good portion of our lives wanting our parents’ approval and making them proud of our accomplishments. We give them grandchildren in hopes that will offer many more
memories and achievements to relish. It is incomprehensible to us that we could ever be forgotten or misplaced by the one that birthed us.
Just like most of us love to get something nice in the mail, greeting cards are an incredible wealth of engagement for our clients with Dementia or Alzheimer's disease. The act of using dexterity to open the envelope. The brain stimulation with the curiosity of looking at the "return address" and trying to recognize it. The look of accomplishment if and when they do recognize the name. The simplistic writing on the inside makes for easy words and easy reading.
Companion Home Care owner Michelle Belton recently attended the Memory Care Forum 2017 presented by the Institute for the Advancement of Senior Care in San Diego, CA. The annual, 2-day event is a comprehensive conference on the latest advances in memory care research and treatment that is geared toward leaders in the health care industry.
