AGE-u-cate Training Institute Blog

You're in for a treat!  AGE-u-cate is honored to welcome a guest blogger, Laurie Scherrer.  Laurie is Programs Director of Dementia Action Alliance (DAA) and is an active member of DAA's Executive Board. 

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Through her extensive work in supporting initiatives of DAA and her experience living with dementia, Laurie is a strong advocate for quality of life.  She was diagnosed with young onset dementia in August of 2013 at the age of 55. Unable to continue a professional career she turned her focus towards helping others through their dementia journey, Laurie and her husband, Roy, work continuously to identify triggers that cause her confusion and they make adjustments to overcome obstacles. Laurie is a Dementia Mentor and is active in many support groups. On her website, dementiadaze.com, Laurie shares her feelings, challenges, symptoms, and adjustments in hopes of encouraging other individuals and families living with dementia to explore ways to live beyond dementia.  

Topics: dementia friendly, Dementia Friendly America, understanding, dementia education, Dementia friendly community, Dementia Awareness, kindess

 

Whether dementia is referred to as a public health issue, priority, or crisis, the urgent need for communities globally in creating dementia-capable systems is at a critical point. 

Topics: dementia, dementia friendly, dementia training, dementia education, dementia programming, Dementia Care Outreach Education

 

Topics: dementia care, dementia, dementia friendly, Dementia Live Training, dementia training, dementia education, Dementia friendly community, Dementia Care Outreach Education, dementia-friendly reading

 

Topics: dementia care, dementia, dementia friendly, dementia training, dementia education, Dementia Awareness, dementia care training

This is something that should not have come as a surprise to me, but it did.  Persons living with dementia, even in the mid to later stages, can call upon their long term memory and actually read!  Not only can they read, they can enjoy themselves!

It turns out that I was partially correct, in that people with dementia are unable to read text dense, visually overwhelming materials.  I think back to my early days working in the nursing home when we would place a National Geographic magazine or USA Today Newspaper in front a person with dementia thinking that would keep them busy and engaged.  Sheesh.

Created by Susan Ostrowski, MA, MS, CCC-SLP,  Reading2Connect® is a life enrichment program centered on books adapted for adults living with dementia. The R2C® strengths-based program enables a higher level of wellbeing through reading independently, expressing individuality, recalling pasts, sharing humor, and emotionally connecting with peers, family, and caregivers.

This works because reading is a skill that is generally preserved and intact in the procedural memory of an elderly person.  Like brushing teeth or using a spoon, the ability to read is automatic and often remains to some degree functional even in the later stages of dementia.  

Bring Back The Joy of Reading

The Barrington Area Council on Aging (BACOA), located in Barrington Illinois, recently integrated Reading2Connect® with the members of their Adult Day Program.  This testimonial put a smile on all of our faces:

"Our Adult Day Program members look forward to our Reading2Connect sessions. The highly readable print with the accompanying photos allows everyone to connect in their own way. The wide variety of themes help evoke conversation. I observe intimate connections, social engagement and expressive language within the group members".

Pam Pellizzari, CDP
Memory Programs Manager
BACOA

Reading2Connect® is a perfect program for Area Agencies on Aging searching for innovative ways to reach isolated elders living with dementia.  Memory and Nursing Care Communities and Adult Day Programs can make life enrichment programming stand out with Reading2Connect®!

 

Learn more today!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Topics: dementia friendly, Dementia Awareness, Dementia and Reading, dementia programming, Joy of Reading, Dementia-related

There will be a wonderful gathering of Aging Services professionals on Saturday, August 21 in Chicago to celebrate the life of our friend, colleague, and passionate advocate for dementia capable care, William Keane.  Bill is one of the many mentors who shaped my philosophies and personal mission in eldercare, and I am honored to be one who will share how Bill continued to teach me, even in the later stages of dementia. In Bill's honor, I would like to share a snippet, because it is a reminder to all of us that wisdom still lives inside a person with dementia.

Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, dementia friendly, Senior Care Industry, Pioneer Network, Alzheimer's Association, professionals, Leaders, elder care, dementia education, Advocacy, Dementia Awareness, Parkinson's Diseases

Validation helps caregivers step into the world of a person with dementia, creating understanding and empathy.

Topics: Senior Care Professionals, Memory Care, Family Caregiver, dementia, Family, caregivers, compassionate touch, Alzheimer's disease, Hospital Professionals, dementia friendly, understanding, touch

Faith communities should start to think about creating a culture of acceptance for persons with dementia.

Topics: The Faith Community, AGE-u-cate Training Institute, Training, dementia, dementia friendly, Faith Community, faith communities, Faith, AGE-u-cate Training

Dementia Friendly Fort Worth recently sponsored Remember This, a participatory performance experience by the Texas Tech University School of Theatre and Dance.  Created and produced by Dr. Tyler Davis, Genevieve Durham DeCesaro, Rachel Hirshorn-Johnston, and Dr. Annette Sobel,  Remember This is about changing the conversation about dementia.

Topics: The Family Caregiver, Senior Care Professionals, Training, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, dementia friendly, Faith Community, Dementia Friendly Fort Worth

I thought this intriguing blog post title would spark some interest, as I'm writing this while on a European trip that will be concluding in Amsterdam.  Samen Dementievriendelijk is the Netherland's Dementia Delta Plan, which aims to create dementia-friendly communities by teaching people to recognize and help people living with dementia.

Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, Senior Care Professionals, dementia, Dementia Live, Hospital Professionals, dementia friendly, Dutch, Samen Dementievriendelijk, Netherlands, Dementiadelta Plan