Adorable Photographs of Our Baby: Meaningful, Mind Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged, Their Loved Ones, and Involved Professionals

The author, Susan Berg, is donating a portion of the proceeds of the sale of this book to the Alzheimer’s Association.

In light of recent research, activities should take on a whole new dimension in long-term care. Activities can no longer be thought of as leisure time fillers, but rather, as opportunities to provide mental stimulation. If done thoughtfully, activities can help those with Alzheimer’s disease hold on to their remaining cognitive skills longer and enhance mood. In a word, activities should be “therapeutic”. Susan Berg’s book is a treasure-trove of therapeutic activities that can bring joy and purpose to those with a cognitive impairment.

Paul Raia, Ph.D, Director of Patient Care and Family Support
Alzheimer’s Association, Massachusetts Chapter

 

Susan Berg’s book is a must have for the Activities Professional and anyone who is caring for an individual with dementia. The baby pictures are delightful. The discussion questions will stimulate many memories, and the additional activity ideas will aid in holding the attention of dementia persons. This is a great tool for someone who has never assisted an individual with dementia, and it is also beneficial to the seasoned Activities Professional.

Brenda Bogart, A.D. Activities on a Shoestring
http://www.angelfire.com/in/shoestring, Crawfordsville, Indiana

 

Therapeutic activities are what we should all strive for when doing activities. I was very impressed with the involvement you created with the dementia population in this book. I am going to incorporate these ideas with the population I serve. God bless you for your caring and concern for others with such a tremendous need. I plan to share this information with caregivers.

Lisa Patton CSS Technician, Adult Life Programs
Hickory, North Carolina

 

Brenda I have had the pleasure of using Susan Berg’s book with residents having various stages of Alzheimer’s disease in both large and small group settings. This book is full of great ideas for discussion and reminiscing groups. I recommend this book to Activity professionals, caregivers and family members, alike.

Patrick, Dementia Unit Activity Coordinator
Beverly, Massachusetts

 

The book was very insightful. I especially enjoyed the pictures that the staff and family can use. They will help me communicate with the memory challenged and provide a personal touch while I am doing it. The ideas were also very helpful because they can involve people with all stages of dementia and can easily be adapted for verbal and nonverbal individuals. I give the book two thumbs up.

Vernessa LuShaun Burgess, CNA
Delray Beach, Florida

 

Susan Berg’s book is filled with heart-warming pictures of endearingly adorable babies that will leave any person feeling pleased and enchanted. The pictures reflect on many daily routines accompanied by discussion ideas that may help guide you through a therapeutic conversation with a person(s) affected by dementia. The book can be used as a tool in providing mentally stimulating one-to-one and/or group discussions.

Andrea Wolfram, Recreation Facilitator
Winnepeg, Manitoba

What is Lewy Body Dementia?

The following is extracted from the Lewy Body Dementia Association website:

Lewy body dementia (LBD) is a progressive brain disease and the second leading cause of degenerative dementia in the elderly. The clinical name, “dementia with Lewy bodies” (DLB), accounts for up to 20% of all dementia cases, or 800,000 patients in the US. Over 50% of Parkinson’s disease patients develop “Parkinson’s disease dementia” (PDD), which accounts for at least 750,000 patients. (PDD is also a Lewy body dementia.)

Other names for the Lewy body dementias are:

• Lewy body disease (LBD)
• Diffuse lewy body disease (DLBD)
• Cortical Lewy body disease (CLBD)
• Lewy body Variant of Alzheimer’s (LBV)(LBVA)
• Parkinson’s disease with dementia (PDD)

In the early 1900’s, while researching Parkinson’s disease, the scientist Friederich H. Lewy discovered abnormal protein deposits that disrupt the brain’s normal functioning. These Lewy body proteins are found in an area of the brain stem where they deplete the neurotransmitter dopamine, causing Parkinsonian symptoms. In Lewy body dementia, these abnormal proteins are diffuse throughout other areas of the brain, including the cerebral cortex. The brain chemical acetylcholine is depleted, causing disruption of perception, thinking, and behavior. Lewy body dementia exists either in pure form, or in conjunction with other brain changes, including those typically seen in Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. 

Horn of Plenty

–Mark L. Madden

When a music student brought his French horn to my shop for repair, he complained that the instrument “felt stuffy” and he couldn’t blow air through it. It’s not unusual to find partial blockages in brass instruments if small items get lodged in the tubing, but when I tested the instrument, the horn was completely blocked. After much probing and prodding, a small tangerine dropped out of the bell. “Oh,” said the musician when I handed him the fruit. Seeing the bewildered look on my face, he explained, “My mom used the horn for a cornucopia in a Thanksgiving centerpiece.”

 

David