August 2017 eNewsletter

In This Issue

Care4u is Coming Soon: A Conference for Families and Caregivers
Minds in Motion® Keeps Mind and Body Nimble
Minds in Motion® Volunteers Needed!
Host or Attend a Coffee Break Event and Help Raise Money for the Alzheimer Society
Caregiver Tips: Using Art to Engage People with Dementia in Meaningful Activities
Spotlight on Research: Leisure Activities May Lower Blood Pressure Among Caregivers of People with Alzheimer’s Disease
Research Participants Needed: Using Memory Tools to Help with Daily Living
How to Make Your Spiritual Community More Dementia Friendly
Upcoming Education
Upcoming Support Groups
Upcoming Events
Anything for Alzheimer’s

Calling All Caregivers!
Get the Answers You Need at the
2017 Care4u Family Conference

Caring for someone with dementia is a journey with different phases to navigate along the way. Those who are on this journey will find lots of support and helpful information at the 2017 Care4u Family Conference being held on Saturday, October 28 at the Canadian Mennonite University.

Organized by the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, Care4u features dementia care professionals who are ready to share the latest in care techniques, community resources and research. Not only that, but as a care partner for someone with dementia, you will have the opportunity to connect with others who are in similar circumstances.

We’ve got lots in store for you!  For example, four concurrent sessions, featuring a wide range of topics, have already been confirmed. They include:

• A discussion about young onset dementia that will provide information from both medical and psychosocial perspectives. Presenters: Dr. Mandana Moddirousta, University of Manitoba, Department of Psychiatry; Sheila Novek, University of Manitoba, Department of Community Health Sciences.
• A session about the transition to long term care. Presenter: Kate Greiger, Social Worker.
• A panel discussion about keeping vulnerable seniors safe. Panel members: Protection for Persons in Care Office; Public Guardian and Trustee of Manitoba; A & O: Support Services for Older Adults’ Safe Suite Program.
• A panel discussion about meaningful engagement. Panel members: Men’s Sheds; Riverwood Square’s Intergenerational Program; Alzheimer Society of Manitoba’s Minds in Motion® Program.

Stay tuned for more information about key-note speakers, break-out sessions and exhibitors at the 2017 Care4u conference on our website and in our fall newsletter.

Online registration will be available in September.  See you there!

Minds in Motion® Program
Keeps Mind and Body Nimble

Maryanne Boaler may have dementia, but she loves having a good time.

Maryanne is in her eighties, doesn’t use a cane and has a head full of red hair. “Mom’s like a beacon when she walks through the dining room at her assisted living residence,” says Don Boaler, Maryanne’s son. “She may need reminders to do some things, but she’s still doing quite well.”

Don and his wife, Kimberly, want to make sure Maryanne stays active and fit for as long as possible. To that end, they got involved with an Alzheimer Society of Manitoba Minds in Motion® program in south Winnipeg. This program, which offers physical, social and mentally stimulating activities, is for people with early to moderate symptoms of dementia to attend with their family members or community friends.

“Mom loves it,” says Don. “We interact with people and get physical exercise. The activities get her moving and stretching, and that will keep her nimble so she can continue to do everyday things, like dressing and reaching for something.”

The Minds in Motion program has become a real family affair for the Boalers – everyone takes turns accompanying Maryanne each week. Sometimes it’s Don and sometimes it’s Kimberley. Other times, one of the couple’s two teenage sons, Brendyn and Lucas, will pick up their grandmother and participate in the two-hour session.

The family intends to sign up for upcoming Minds in Motion® sessions, which are offered at various locations for eight-week periods in spring, fall and winter.

Don’t Miss Out! Click here for a listing of Minds in Motion® locations near you!

Demand has increased substantially for the Minds in Motion program. This is a one-of-a-kind offering in Manitoba – it is the only program currently available in the community for people with early to moderate symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia to attend with a family member or community friend. It is offered at six Winnipeg locations as well as in Gimli, Portage la Prairie, Altona and Morden.

The program consists of a two-hour class held once a week for eight weeks. Each weekly class has a fitness component, a socialization and refreshment break, and a session involving brain stimulating recreational games and activities.

Now is the time to think about signing up for a fall session. Registration will be available right after the September long weekend.

Minds in Motion® Volunteers Needed!

Our popular Minds in Motion® program (story above) fills up fast. To keep up with the demand, we need caring and talented people to help out as volunteers for our fall sessions, beginning early to mid October 2017.

Are you interested in lending your talents as a volunteer? Please join us for one of our 60-minute information sessions to learn more!

Click here to register for one of four sessions being offered during August and September.

Click here to learn about the roles and responsibilities of our Minds in Motion volunteers.

Host or Attend a Coffee® Break Event and
Help Raise Money for the Alzheimer Society

Let’s face it: most of us spend money regularly – if not daily! – on coffee, tea, beverages and treats when we take a break from work or visit with friends.

Why not let your coffee money support a good cause? You can do just that by hosting or attending an Alzheimer Society Coffee Break® event during September and October.

Anyone can host a Coffee Break event. You can coordinate one in your office, invite friends over to your home, set one up in your community centre or approach your local mall to set up a temporary “coffee kiosk.”

All you have to do is set up a table. When you register as a host, we’ll send you some material to add to your display, such as posters, a donation box, stickers, coffee cup cut outs and more to help you have an enjoyable and successful event. We can also help by advertising the place and time of your Coffee Break® event on our website’s Calendar of Events.

You can serve coffee, along with tea, juice smoothies, hot chocolate and lemonade. Add some snacks and baked goods if you wish – whatever you think your customers, coworkers, friends and neighbours might enjoy as they take a welcome interlude from their day. It will be doubly meaningful for people to know that the money they spend during the Coffee Break event will support programs and services for people with dementia and their caregivers.

An Added Bonus

If you wish, the Alzheimer Society can help you to attract people (meaning more donations!) to your event by sending speakers. They can discuss the 10 warning signs of dementia, risk factors and preventative measures – as well as many other topics related to the disease. This addition to your event will help to provide valuable information about dementia to the many who are facing the disease themselves or as a caregiver.

Registration coming September!!!

OR

How to Get Started

Hosting a Coffee Break event is simple!  For more information call us  at 204-943-6622 or 1-800-378-6699.

Thanks for hosting or attending a Coffee Break event this fall!

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Caregiving Tips

Using Art to Engage People with Dementia in Meaningful Activities

Activities involving art can offer cognitive, physical and emotional stimulation that have therapeutic benefits for a person with dementia. Here are some ways to meaningfully use art to engage a person:

Observe the Artwork of Other People
Visit art galleries or museums, tour gardens with sculptures or look at books that feature pictures of artwork. Use open-ended questions when conversing with the person during these visits. Let the art initiate reminiscence and give the person the opportunity to express their ideas and feelings about what they are seeing.

Suggest Painting
Start with a familiar medium or choose from among water color, acrylic paint or pastel chalks. If a person has difficulty beginning a task, consider using adult coloring books as they include images the person can work from. If using blank sheets of paper, it may be helpful to cue the person to help them get started. If painting a scene, suggest painting the sky first: it’s an easy place to begin, and can be followed with other aspects of the scene. As the person creates, engage them in conversation by asking what the colors mean to them. Encourage the person to express their feelings through colors.

Create a Collage of Imagery
Encourage the person to cut out images and talk about why they like each one and the feelings they inspire. Share your feelings about the pictures and chat about memories you hold in common.

Art activities, especially when shared with others, help a person with dementia to feel a sense of belonging, purpose and joy. The time the person spends with others while enjoying the art will help them to connect with their environment, other people and their memories.

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Spotlight on Research:
Leisure Activities May Lower Blood Pressure
Among Caregivers of People with Alzheimer’s Disease

Is participation in pleasant leisure activities associated with reduced blood pressure in people caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease?

Researchers from the University of California conducted a five-year longitudinal study that examined this issue. The study engaged 126 in-home spousal caregivers with a mean age of 74.2 years. Annually over the five years, the investigators assessed caregivers’ blood pressure, engagement in pleasant leisure activities, caregiver stress, sociodemographic and health characteristics, and medication intake.

Results indicated that increased engagement in pleasant leisure activities is associated with reduced blood pressure among people who care for a spouse with Alzheimer’s disease. The analysis of data showed that physical activities, such as exercises and going for a walk, were correlated with significantly lower blood pressure. However, the researchers also found that greater engagement in more sedentary but reflective and pleasant activities – reading, listening to music, shopping, recalling past events – were also linked to lower blood pressure.

Caregiving may have an impact on caregivers’ physical health, including elevated blood pressure. This study indicates that engagement in pleasant activities that fits one’s physical abilities and living situations may reduce blood pressure and provide cardiovascular benefits to caregivers.

Click here to read an article about this study.

You Can be a Research Participant!

You can help to enhance knowledge on the care and support of people with dementia and their care partners by getting involved as a participant in research studies. Here is one to consider. Click here to read about other studies currently looking for participants.

Using Memory Tools to Help with Daily Living

Participants are needed for a study that looks at how memory tools can assist people in their daily living. The study is being carried out by Daniel Saltel, a Master’s student in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba.

Participants in the study must be age 55 or over. They will be asked to use different methods, such as checklists and diaries, to help them remember things they need to do in their daily life. These methods will be tailored to their individual needs. Taking place over a three-week period, the time commitment is less than 30 minutes per day, along with three weekly one-hour sessions with the researcher. The location for the tasks involved is the participant’s choice.

Daniel can be reached by calling 204-257-7145 or by email at umsalt23@myumanitoba.ca

Click here for further information. Click here for a poster about the study.

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How to Make Your Spiritual Community More Dementia Friendly

Regardless of the spiritual beliefs one observes, worship centres are community places where people from all generations meet to practice their religion, find friendship and take part in activities.

Within a congregation there may be people living with a personal diagnosis of dementia. There may also be others who are caring for someone with dementia either in their own home or from a distance. Having the support of others in the spiritual community is important to both people with dementia and their families.

Some ways that worship centres can be more supportive of people with dementia are:

• Use familiar hymns, readings and ceremonies when planning worship services.
• Designate volunteers to assist the person with communion, reciting prayers or other religious rituals.
• If the congregation has a number of members who are experiencing dementia and who find the regular service too long or complex, consider planning a shorter service at an alternate time for them to attend.
• Assist people with dementia to stay involved in the activities they have always enjoyed. If the person sings in the choir, offer to pick them up for practice if they no longer drive.  If they volunteered at a thrift shop, continue to involve the person in sorting incoming items or organizing the sales.
• Provide clear, legible signage that includes both words and graphics for different areas of the worship centre, such as washrooms, foyers and meeting areas.
• Train ushers and other worship centre members to be watchful for people with dementia who may be searching for areas in the building or who may exit the facility without their care partner.

Consider getting a group together to brainstorm more ways to make your worship centre more supportive for people living with dementia. Give the Alzheimer Society a call – we are available to meet with your group when it discusses strategies that promote inclusion. You can also arrange for a dementia friendly community presentation by calling us at 204-943-6622 or by emailing alzeducation@alzheimer.mb.ca

In a later newsletter we will discuss ways that a spiritual community can support family care partners of people with dementia.

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Upcoming Education

FAMILY EDUCATION

Living with Dementia: First Steps
Join us for informational and experiential workshops for people supporting a person recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia.