Benefits of Gardening: It's more than planting a seed

You may recall the popular book by Robert Fulghum, "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten; Wonder. Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup? The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the styrofoam cup, they all die. So do we." 

Not everything grows in little styrofoam cups, but gardening has many benefits that can have a positive impact on your health. People living with dementia can especially benefit and will often experience improved moods, reduced anxiety, and feel a sense of purpose when given opportunities to participate in gardening activities. However, the benefits for those providing constant care for someone living with memory loss can reap the benefits as well. 

Caring for someone with a chronic health condition is stressful. But caring for some experiencing memory loss have two additional symptoms.  Communication and behavioral challenges that often occurs with dementia, can make caring even more difficult. Finding hobbies that can help with stress reduction for caregivers is important and gardening is a proven intervention to help reduce depression and improve wellbeing. 

Other benefits include improved quality of life, improve self esteem, improved happiness, increase activity level, lower blood pressure and peace and relaxation. 

Even if you can’t get outside, putting seeds in a little styrofoam cup may be good start to a new hobby. Indoor gardening can be fun, so roll up your sleeves and experience a kindergartner’s lesson on life.

 Engaging Persons Living with Dementia with Activity Boxes

Dementia is one of the most important issues we face today as the population ages. As dementia progresses, the person living with dementia becomes less able to enter our world, so we must create opportunities to join their world. 

One of the tools used to engage people living with dementia are activity boxes. These boxes foster engagement in meaningful life tasks and create a sense of purpose and belonging.  Successful activity boxes are ones designed to a specific individual and their capabilities. They are also useful for decreasing unwanted behaviors and anxiety. Shoeboxes are ideal and plastic shoeboxes with lids are available at dollar discount store. They are perfect and can be stacked for storage. You, grandchildren, and friends can enjoy the boxes together. Sit with the person to get them started looking through the box and remain and engage, or tell them “I’ll be right back” and step away to see if they can continue independently. Come back and join them as you promised. Below are some suggestions for “theme” boxes.

• Flower arranging: artificial flowers cut into single stem (leaves and flowers), a vase, scents to add to the flowers
• Sanding blocks for the wood worker: several 2”x4” blocks with one side covered with sandpaper, pieces of wood (different shapes) that can be sanded, a cloth to wipe down the sanded pieces
• Office worker: papers to fold and place in envelops, colored paper (sort colors or shapes) pencil sharpener and pencils, file folders, index cards, rubber bands
• Knitting box: yarn to roll into balls, needles with yarn started (muscle memory can often kick in and the person who has prior interest and skills will start to knit!)
• Coupon clipping: scissors, coupons and envelopes.
• Shoeshine box: cloths, wax (avoid the dyes) shoe strings, brush
• Coin sorting box: large number of coins (avoid for those who may put them in their mouth), plastic coin holder paper rolls.
• Gardening: gloves, cap, seeds packages, soil (great for outdoors and a wonderful sensory activity)  

Tap in on their hobbies/interest when designing the box. They are great fun to make and a perfect way to create joyful experiences!

Benefits of Adult Day Care for Caregivers

Benefits of Adult Day Care for Caregivers

Benefits of Adult Day Care for Caregivers 

Ten Real-Life Strategies for Dementia Caregiving

As caregivers, we often use intuition to to help us decide what to do. No one ever gave us lessons on how to relate to someone with memory loss. Unfortunately, dealing with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias is counterintuitive; i.e., often the right thing to do is exactly opposite that which seems like the right thing to do. Here is some practical advice:

• Being Reasonable, Rational, and Logical Will Just Get You into Trouble. Straightforward, simple sentences about what is going to happen are usually the best.

• People with Dementia Do Not Need to Be Grounded in Reality.  When someone has memory loss, he often forgets important things, e.g., that his mother is deceased.  Redirecting and asking someone to tell you about the person he has asked about or about his home is a better way to calm a person with dementia.

• Therapeutic Lying Reduces Stress.  Is it okay to tell your loved one that the two of you are going out to lunch and then “coincidentally” stop by the doctor’s office on the way home to pick something up as a way to get her to the doctor?

• Making Agreements Doesn’t Work.  If you ask your loved one to not do something ever again, or to remember to do something, it will soon be forgotten. Taking action, rearranging the environment, rather than talking and discussing, is usually a more successful approach. For example, getting a tea kettle with an automatic “off” switch is better than warning someone of the dangers of leaving the stove on. 

• Doctors Often Need to Be Educated By You.   Telling the doctor what you see at home is important. The doctor can’t tell during an examination that your loved one has been up all night pacing. Sometimes doctors, too, need to deal with therapeutic lying; e.g., telling the patient that an antidepressant is for memory rather than depression.

• You Cannot Be a Perfect Caregiver.    Learning to forgive your loved one as well as yourself is essential in the caregiving journey.

Promoting independence for those living with dementia

  Regardless the task, there are ways to support independence with a person’s participation in their own daily life. By encouraging independence, the person's ability to function will increase, as well as their confidence. Strategies that can support or maintain independence in people with dementia can also lower the level of stress experienced by the caregiver.

• Encouraging physical activity and maintaining flexibility and strength helps  individuals to continue their daily tasks longer. Encourage some form of physical activity on a daily basis, such as going for a walk around the neighborhood or doing some simple stretches.
• Identify the daily life skills that the person can still do on their own, even if it takes a little longer For example: If they are able to put on their shoes but cannot tie the laces, consider changing to slip-on shoes or ones with Velcro.
• Mealtime always presents opportunities to ask the person to help with a part of the task, such as washing vegetables or setting the table. Remember that some days are better than others. If the person has difficultly completing a particular task, perhaps they can try again on another day.
• Recognize and celebrate the things that can still do!!

Meeting the Psychosocial Needs of People Living with Memory Loss Through Therapeutic Recreation and the Expressive Arts

What is Recreation Therapy?

   Recreational therapy, also known as therapeutic recreation, is a systematic process that utilizes recreation and other activity-based interventions to address the assessed needs of individuals with illnesses and/or disabling conditions, as a means to psychological and physical health, recovery and well-being. These services are provided by a nationally Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist.

Why Expressive Arts?

   For some people living with dementia, verbal communication and expression can become challenging,  Expressive therapies aren’t arts and crafts classes, but a processes for helping clients reach specific goals for self-expression,  experience joy, and their improve their over-all mood.

What outcomes can be expected?

   Outcomes of expressive therapies for individuals with memory loss, dementia, or Alzheimer’s are to maximize their remaining abilities.  We use music, movement, visual arts, storytelling, facilitated poetry and creative writing, improvisation drama groups, cooking, gardening, and Health Rhythms Drumming to encourage self-expression. This is especially useful for those who are unable to express themselves verbally. All interventions are focused on creating a safe and joyful experience, reduce  anxiety, depression, and enhance the quality of one’s life.