As I was writing a post about pincushions, Quilters’ Passion for Pincushions, I wondered how many Alzheimer’s patients would find pincushions a memory jogger.  They were part of my grandmother’s, mother’s, and my world.  My daughter still uses one in her quilting and sewing, but not so much as we did.  (In fact, many of her pins and needles rest on a magnitized gadget.)
      This brings up another suggestion about memorabilia in general.  Do items from their lives bring back memories for Alzheimer’s patients?
The staff at Mother’s nursing home suggested I make a small album with photos of family members and …read more

Liz has been traveling this month, flying first from her home in New Zealand to Spain.  From there she’ll go to New York City.  I think you’ll enjoy following her travels as she shares her experiences in photos and words at her blog, My Year of Getting Published.
We’ve been very fortunate, too, that Liz organized numerous informative blog posts before she left on her trip so we still have her with us on the blog throughout the month.

“The computer is a boon “ for many Alzheimer’s patients, especially those with early onset dementia and those in the earlier stages of the disease, according to an article about Alzheimer’s in U.S.News & World Report (December 11, 2006 issue).  The computer, e-mail and the online world has become a great outlet and aide for them.
*E-mail keeps them in contact with friends, family, and others with Alzheimer’s.  One person interviewed described e-mail and chat rooms to “holding hands with someone with dementia.”
*E-mail keeps an ongoing record of chats with others…something they can refer back to if they wish.  In  other words, …read more

One of the activities I conducted in a nursing home consisted of jogging memories and reminiscing about family history.  We used a questionnaire the acitivities aide and I discussed with the group and recorded their answers.
These were fun for the residents, who chatted among themselves as we introduced the memory joggers.  These also can be fun for families to use with their family member with Alzheimer’s.  I enjoyed writing down and recording my mom’s reminiscing for her family.
I’ve recently discovered a book that will aid in jogging memories, Mothballs in My Attic, by Cindy O’Neill at www.mimabook.com .  This book uses words to bring …read more