Testimonials — therapy for Alzheimer's patients

Thank you very much for your donation of 6 pets.  We did received them from the Hospital Foundation soon after their arrival.  After all the staff enjoyed to look at them we have started to include them in our distribution program.  We gave out our first one today and had excellent results. On a funny note, our social worker was carrying one of the long-haired dogs donated and a hospital administrator came up to see why an unauthorized animal was being brought to the hospital by staff. The patient who received it enjoyed it very much as well. Anthony Arslan,...

This week's blog takes a look at an article from The Alzheimer's Reading Room, entitled 'Communicating with the Deeply Forgetful'. The article seeks to explain and break down how people living with later stages of Alzheimer's view the world around them, and in particular, how their reality is much different from the reality that we are used to. In order to foster a means of helpful communication, the focus of the caregiver should shift to the new reality of a deeply forgetful person—that is—what they think and believe to be true. This is sometimes difficult, as it often involves "playing"...

Our blog today looks at the work being done at Pine Run Retirement Community in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, where the residents use painting and clay molding to rekindle their memories.Kris Sinisi, an art instructor at the community who helps the residents with their projects says that imagination is something that does not falter: "They may lose certain memories, but imagination is key, and it's always there, and it can always be sparked and triggered."In the same way, Memorable Pets seeks to help patients with dementia and Alzheimer's reinvent memories of their beloved pets, and through the interaction with stuffed animals, act...

Our blog entry today is on a narrative by Nancy Wurtzel, public relations professional, creative writer, and owner of the blog Dating Dementia, who relays the story of her mother's gradual decline into the hardships of Alzheimer's disease at the age of 85.In her later stages after diagnosis, Wurtzel's mother, once highly social and outgoing, began to withdraw from the world and stopped attempting meaningful interactions or conversations. In her earlier stages, she began hoarding containers of old food and became obsessed with winning games like bingo or cards—often sulking like a child when she lost.As her mother continued to...

Actor and comedian Seth Rogen, along with his wife, Lauren Miller Rogen, have dedicated a charity known as Hilarity for Charity to helping families receive free Alzheimer's care for their loved ones. Hilarity for Charity has partnered with Home Instead Senior Care—an organization built around providing in-home care to Alzheimer's patients within the U.S. and Canada. The charity's care grants have already provided 6,000 hours of free care to more than 130 families, and the organization is still accepting applications for grants, which range from 25 hours of short-term care to long-term care. To apply for a grant from Hilarity...