Helping Children Understand Alzheimer’s Disease.
November 30, 2007 by Liz Lewis
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Adopting the persona of ‘Grandma Joyce’ social worker Joyce Simard uses props such as a pair of oversized star-shaped, blue-lensed eyeglasses and walking frame.
It’s all part of an educational program that Joyce runs to teach children about aging and Alzheimer’s Disease, and to show children how to visit and have fun with grandparents with memory loss. This 45 minute program is aimed at chidren in the third to fifth grades and uses story-telling, singing, and role playing.
The program has been presented to schools and libraries throughout the country over the past six years. During this time, Joyce Simard has also created The Magic Tape Recorder, a book that covers everything in her presentation.
How creative of Grandma Joyce to inform youngsters about Alzheimer’s this way.
When my mom was in the nursing home, her roommates’ daughter commented, “Mary, I wish there was a book or something to help my children cope with their grandmother’s (her mother) Alzheimer’s.”
It’s great to see so many books and programs out there nowadays.