Save the Date!

2017 Memory Bridge Training Retreat

The Indiana Institute’s Center on Aging and Community is pleased to announce the fifth annual Memory Bridge Training Retreat and Scholarship, co-sponsored with the Memory Bridge Foundation. The 2017 training will be held June 1-6, 2017 at the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center in Bloomington, Indiana.

The design of the retreat is based on Memory Bridge’s I Am A Bridge Dementia Immersion Training, an experience-centered learning model that positions people with dementia in the roles of teacher, guide, and companion. The deadline for receipt of the first phase of the application is January 18, 2017. To learn more about the 2017 Memory Bridge Training Retreat, please visit http://www.memorybridge.org/ or contact Jane Harlan-Simmons via e-mail at jeharlan@indiana.edu or by phone by calling (812) 855-2167. There is a Bridge, please join us in building it.

Dementia activist: Fighting for our rights

Dementia activist: Fighting for our rights is a 152-page memoir from a translator and activist who was diagnosed at an early age with Lewy Body Dementia. At the time of publication, Rohra had been living with a dementia diagnosis for over three years and in this book offers a unique glimpse into the challenges she encounters on a daily basis along with finding new meaning in her life post-diagnosis.

Rohra beings her memoir discussing her active life as a single mom raising a son on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum and her work as a freelance medical and scientific translator. When she began losing the ability to come up with the proper word, she tried to find the humor in the situation but gradually began to get worried. Amazed at her diagnosis, Rohra began to withdraw at first but found the courage to continue being an activist for the dementia community with humor and grace.

Want to check it out? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Caring for a loved one with dementia: A mindfulness-based guide for reducing stress and making the best of your journey together

Caring for a loved one with dementia: A mindfulness-based guide for reducing stress and making the best of your journey together is a 200-page guide to supporting those who support people with dementia. Written by a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in bringing new, innovative solutions to the field of dementia care, this book offers a mindfulness-based dementia care (MBDC) program to help caregivers meet their own needs and lower their own stress levels while caring for a loved one. The author offers strategies she used herself while caring for her own mother.

In the first part of the book, readers will learn more about dementia and which professionals to turn to for more help. The connection between dementia care challenges and stress are explored along with the way in which mindfulness can benefit the caregiver. Basic mindfulness practices are discussed along with the importance of acknowledging grief. Readers will also learn how to integrate mindfulness into communication and response to challenging situations. Self-care and the fruits that can be reaped from this program are discussed.

Interested? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu to check it out or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Mobile App Monday - Swaha

Swaha is a great app for creating social stories using your own voice to narrate! Simply take pictures, then in the app, narrate each one and swipe to the next. Young kids can use it, people with brain injuries or dementia can use it or anyone who might need a little help remembering how to do something.

For more information about this app, please visit:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id926110666

Designing websites for people with dementia

With an estimated 46.8 million (and rising) people worldwide living with dementia, it is important to think of designing websites that are accessible to them.

"Although many people living with dementia use the internet to access information or communicate with peers, friends or family, actually navigating these digital spaces can become increasingly problematic," according to an article at smashingmagazine.com. The article offers information on colors, fonts, layout and more.

To read the entire article, please visit:
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2016/05/designing-a-dementia-friendly-website/

Memory Bridge Training Retreat

For the fourth consecutive summer, the Indiana Institute’s Center on Aging and Community and Memory Bridge are sponsoring the Memory Bridge Training Retreat, to be held at the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center in Bloomington on June 17-22, 2016. The Retreat is dedicated to ending the social isolation accompanying dementia through learning how to be with people with dementia in emotionally and spiritually sustaining ways.

For more information on this event, please visit:
http://www.memorybridge.org/retreat.php

Video game could help diagnose dementia

According to an article found on CNN Health, a video game could help diagnose dementia. A team of scientists want "at least 100,000 people to play the game by the end of 2016 to provide the ideal range of data needed to provide this missing information. Data will be anonymous and only available to researchers at UCL."

To learn more about this game and the science behind it, please visit:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/04/health/dementia-game-sea-hero-quest/index.html

What the hell happened to my brain?

In What the hell happened to my brain? Swaffer "describes vividly her experiences of living with dementia, exploring the effects of memory difficulties, loss of independence, leaving long-term employment, the impact on her teenage sons, and the enormous impact of the dementia diagnosis on her sense of self. Never shying away from difficult issues, she tackles head-on stigma, inadequacies in care and support, and the media's role in perpetuating myths about dementia, suggesting ways in which we can include and empower people with the diagnosis." -publisher

Interested? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu to check out this title or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Mobile App Monday - GreyMatters: Reaching Beyond Dementia

"GreyMatters is a tablet application that aims to improve quality of life for people with dementia and their caregivers. Through an interactive life storybook, paired with music & games, the app helps patients and families preserve yesterday’s memories, as well as share today’s joyful moments. With a strong belief that people with dementia are "still here," GreyMatters taps into the abilities that remain to keep individuals engaged and connected." -iTunes

Want to learn more about it? Please visit:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id900645661

Tableware to Help People With Dementia

 Sha Yao, an industrial designer, has created a set of tableware to help people with dementia eat and drink with more independence. Her bowls and cups are tilted to help food and drink naturally slide to the side making it easier to scoop up food with a specially designed spoon. The bright primary colors of the tableware also translate to eating and drinking more.

To read more about these prize-winning designs, please visit:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/67570/designer-creates-tableware-help-people-dementia

Alive Inside

Alive Inside is a deeply moving, inspirational documentary about the power of music. Watch as people who are living with dementia transform when listening to music that stirs their soul.

Want to check it out? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Game imitates life with dementia

According to an article on Mashable yesterday, a 21 year old student has created a video game as a final honors project for his degree that simulates what life would be like if the player had Alzheimer's or other dementia. "Alexander Tarvet, a student in Abertay University's Game Design & Production Management program in Dundee, Scotland, aims to use the game to raise awareness of the brain disease, in which a person's memory, thinking and problem-solving skills progressively worsen over time."

Read the entire article at:
http://mashable.com/2015/05/11/alzheimers-video-game/

Chicken soup for the soul: Living with Alzheimer's & other dementias

Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia? You are not alone. This Chicken Soup for the Soul book is filled with 101 encouraging and inspiring stories by others like you. It is a source of support and encouragement throughout your caregiving journey.

Interested? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu to check out this title or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Program for Elders/Dementia Reducing Need for Drugs

According to a story on NPR yesterday, a memory care facility and nursing home in Mankato, Minnesota, has significantly reduced the need for anti-psychotic drugs through a program they call Awakenings. The program seeks to understand the cause of behaviors in elders with dementia and other cognitive disabilities and works to try to eliminate it.

To read the entire story, please visit:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/12/09/368539057/this-nursing-home-calms-troubling-behavior-without-risky-drugs?

Elders with Dementia and Birds

"Bird Tales," a program that brings the natural outdoor world inside for those people who have dementia was developed by Randy Griffin, a Dementia Care Specialist. Using plush birds with their individual chirps built in to help with this multi-sensory program, Ken Elkins from the Audubon Society passes along his knowledge and passion for birds to people with Alzheimer's. Griffin and Elkins have developed a video and workbook to make the program easy to replicate for any assisted living center or dementia care center.

To learn more about the program and to purchase a copy of the program, please visit: http://bentoftheriver.audubon.org/bird-tales

News on aging with dementia

According to a story from NPR last week, new research shows that keeping an active mind while aging staves off dementia to a point, but after that point has been reached, the rate of decline increases dramatically. A study in Chicago looked at over 1,000 people age 65 or older who did not have dementia and rated their frequency of engaging in brain-stimulated activities. During follow-up sessions, decades later, the findings show surprising speed in the rate of decline for those who continued to engage in stimulating activities.

To find out more, read the article from NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129628082&sc=fb&cc=fp

Enriched Care Planning for People with Dementia

Enriched care planning for people with dementia : a good practice guide for delivering person-centred dementia care is written by Hazel May, Paul Edwards, and Dawn Brooker of the Bradford Dementia Group. The authors integrate case studies, research and personal stories to provide "a complete practical framework" for caring for persons with dementia or learning disabilities in a way that hinders disengagement.

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Email us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

The Alzheimer's Advisor

The Alzheimer's advisor: a caregiver's guide to dealing with the tough legal and practical issues by Vaughn E. James. is an essential read for support professionals and family members of persons with Alzheimer's disease. The book has such chapters as "Okay, it is Alzheimer's: the legal implications" and "The cost of care: where it goes, where it comes from," and thoroughly covers the legalities of changing residences and liability, how to prepare for the end of life, tips to ensure caregivers are not overwhelmed and more.

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Contact us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

I'm Still Here

I'm Still Here: A Breakthrough Approach to Understand Someone Living with Alzheimer's by John Zeisel focuses on connecting with individuals that have Alzheimer's and learning to look at different aspects of their abilities that don't diminish over time. For example, listening to music or viewing art allows individuals to use parts of their brain that still function well. Zeisel also reveals that certain symptoms expressed by the individual with Alzheimer's are not symptoms of the disease but rather a person's reaction to what he calls the "four A's." Agitation, anxiety, aggression and apathy. He shows how caregiver's can have a vibrant and meaningful relationship with individuals that have the disease to have a better quality of life.

Did you hear...Alzheimer's Disease

Resources:

Schnurbush, B. (2007). Striped shirts and flowered pants: A story about Alzheimer's disease for young children. Washington, D.C.: Magination Press.

Cambridge Educational (2006). Alzheimer's: The long goodbye. Lawrenceville, NJ: Author.

Tame, A.C. (2005). ABC's of activities for Alzheimer's: Therapeutic activities that work for persons with demintia. Victoria B.C.: Trafford.

Peterson, B. (2004). Boices of Alzheimer's: Courage, humor, hope and love in the face of dementia. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Life Long.

Online Resources:
http://delicious.com/cedir/alzheimers