One of the wonderful benefits of being an adult day center affiliated with VNSNY CHOICE (http://2012.vnsnychoice.org/) is that we have access to experts to provide health education.  Recently, VNSNY CHOICE Rehabilitation Consultants gave excellent Falls Prevention presentations to seniors in our dementia program. Although one might think that people with dementia may have difficulty understanding the information, we’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much the seniors learned and what good questions they’ve been asking about this important topic.

Since the presentations, we have seen noticeable changes in behavior that are helping our…

A recent New York Times headline caught my attention: “Tennessee’s Summit Reveals Dementia Diagnosis”.

If you are not familiar with Pat Summit, she is widely considered the most successful college basketball coach of all time. Her recognition is well deserved after coaching Tennessee University’s women’s basketball team to a record eight national championships and more than 1,000 wins.

Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post writes:

“Denial was followed by anger. For the first few weeks, Summitt would barely even discuss the subject. She told her doctors, ‘You don’t know me. You don’t know what I’m capable…

Working successfully with people with dementia requires a high level of skill and attention to detail. VNSNY CHOICE Adult Day Center staff are trained to understand that dementia presents itself differently in each person we serve. We get to know our members as individuals in order to understand their perspectives, meet their needs, help them function as highly as possible while keeping an eye on changes in behavior.

Our Recreation Leaders and Home Health Aides (HHA’s) are exceptional at learning all they can about each member, their histories, support systems, likes…

Now that the weather is nice, it’s a great time of year to get out with loved ones. Going out to eat is a great way to socialize, relax, get together with friends and family and de-stress. When someone has dementia, these benefits continue to be important for the person and the caregiver, but caregivers may be hesitant to take their loved ones out to eat because of the challenges that situation might present.

In the Spring 2011 issue of care ADvantage magazine, published by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, there are excellent…

When working with people with dementia, you quickly realize that each person’s symptoms are quite unique. To reach each person in our program, we’re constantly trying new activities geared toward different cultures, levels of functioning and ways of understanding information. We strive to provide cognitive stimulation in a variety of ways in order to connect with our seniors and help them function to the best of their abilities.

This time of year lends itself to celebrating holidays in many creative ways. We often use things like  art, music and reminiscence therapy. In our dementia program,…

Adult day programs can have a tremendously positive impact on seniors and caregivers, but in order for them to reap the benefits, first they have to get comfortable with the center, its staff and the center’s other members. This is not necessarily something that happens naturally, so we take many steps to ensure that our seniors and caregivers get to know us and our center.

For one, we are always mindful that not everyone is at ease in new environments or meeting strangers. During the first few months of enrollment, we actively work to connect seniors to…

Photo by Carlos Porto

There was a recent article in the New York Times highlighting the novel way in which a nursing home in Phoenix, Arizona has been dealing with behavioral issues in those with Alzheimer’s. In a sense, the way a caregiver interacts and the techniques used can help to decrease anxiety and lessen some behavioral issues. It reminded me of a patient I met long ago…

A few years back, I worked at an area hospital on the night shift. Besides waking patients up for every little thing (smile), we would encourage our patients to…

At the VNSNY CHOICE Adult Day Center, we have two programs — one for the physically frail elderly and one for people with memory impairment.

The CHOICE Club, for the physically frail, serves 40 seniors per day. It is an active, vibrant program that offers a wide variety of activities and health education, supports being as independent as possible and provides personal care when needed.

The STAR Program, for people with dementia, serves 15 seniors per day. STAR offers similar activities to the CHOICE Club, but everything is at a slower pace…

The facts about Alzheimer’s Disease are staggering:

• 5.3 Million people have Alzheimer’s.
• It is the 7th leading cause of death.
• Alzheimer’s consumes 172 billion dollars in annual costs.
• There are 10.9 million unpaid caregivers assisting someone with Alzheimer’s Disease. (source: Alzheimer’s Association Website)

Tuesday, September 21st is World Alzheimer’s Day, a day set aside each year to raise awareness around the globe about this debilatating disease. This year’s theme is: Dementia, It’s Time For Action since Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia according to the Alzheimer’s Association. It accounts for 60-80 percent of cases of…

Caregivers have a lot on their plate, and it can be very challenging balancing caregiving responsibilities while taking care of their own lives and families. Some people with Alzheimer’s Disease may exhibit wandering behaviors and that adds even more challenges to keeping loved ones safe and healthy. Some may attempt to leave their safe environments without supervision or may get lost while out in the community unattended.

At our center, we have a Wanderguard program for memory impaired seniors to help prevent wandering. The Alzheimer’s Association has a Safe Return Program…