Someone in your family is acting forgetful and confused. That means Alzheimer’s, right? Not always. In fact, more than one of my friends has had a parent with symptoms that pointed towards Alzheimer’s that were solved by a good dose of a vitamin they had a deficiency in.
Here are the Signs of Alzheimer’s from the Alzheimer’s Association website.
1. Memory loss
2. Difficulty performing familiar tasks
3. Problems with language
4. Disorientation to time and place
5. Poor or decreased judgment
6. Problems with abstract thinking
7. Misplacing things
8. Changes in mood or behavior
9. Changes in personality
10. Loss of initiative
I am very big on rubber stamping, collage and other crafty pursuits. I started thinking that with the proposed Alzheimer’s research budget cut, there should be a way for us to use our artistic ability to raise money for Alzheimer’s research. I’m thinking something like a swap with everyone sending in an extra item so I can make a collection to auction off on eBay, too.
For example, if we did a charm bracelet swap, you’d send in 21 charms and receive 20 different charms back. The extra charms would be put on a bracelet and put on eBay. Other options would be a fat book swap with 20/21 pages or a 20/21 Artist Trading Card swap where I’d create a book with pockets for each of the extra ATCs to be auctioned as an ACEO card collection and holder.
Would anyone be interested in this? If so, please sign up to the Stamp Out Alzheimer’s Yahoo Group I’ve created to keep track of things and participate in the poll so I know which art form is the most popular.
The first swap theme will be a fat book on Cherished Memories- something that reminds you of a special day or person.
For up-to-date Alzheimer’s drug information the Mayo Clinic has good references on new drugs.
I received an email from the Alzheimer’s Association today. Bush has sent his proposed budget to Congress and it includes a big cut in funding for Alzheimer’s Research. Please ask your representatives to vote against cutting research. You can send a virtual letter asking for them to support Alzheimer’s research here. If you’re in the area, you can visit Capital Hill on March 20, 2007 to ask your representatives in person to keep funding research.
The News Journal has an interesting article about a woman who uses Music Therapy with Alzheimer’s patients.
Exposing these patients to music from their past — in this case, tunes like “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad,” “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” and favorites from Nat King Cole — can help give them a chance to be “in the moment,” as Cordrey calls it, and able to participate in group activities.
It sounds like a great idea to me. I hope more nursing homes decide to look into this.
Suddenly, mom can’t manage that complicated crochet pattern anymore. Dad can’t remember how to carve those bird sculptures. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t still enjoy creating things. Try one of these simple project ideas for Alzheimer’s patients:
- Paper Clay is fun to mess around with, is nontoxic and can be air dried. Pinch pots are easy to create, but even just playing around with the clay can be therapeutic. If you want a more advanced project, molds for chocolates or soaps can be used to make beautiful paper clay charms.
- Collage can be a great idea, especially if the supply list includes color copies of loved ones’ photos. to adhere the pieces to the collage, use ModgePodge or watered down Elmer’s glue.
- Rubber stamps, washable ink pads and cardstock combine to create beautiful and useful art.
Do you have any additional suggestions for good art materials for Alzheimer’s patients?
Richard Taylor has written a wonderful article on getting family members with Alzheimer’s to stop driving. One of the most important points he makes is that you should prepare for this moment well in advance.
I know that we were surprised by William’s sudden inability to drive safely and were unprepared for the power struggle over the keys. Although he had a caregiver who would take him anywhere he wanted to go during the day and a son to take him where he wanted to go at night, he would still steal the keys and try to drive off with the car.
Despite the fact that we did try sitting down one on one, explained consequences of unsafe driving and had alternate transportation set up, he felt stripped of power and angry. However, these suggestions for helping the Alzheimer’s victim hang up the car keys for good do work for many people.
