This is a guided imagery exercise that you can do with your clients in a nursing facility. All exercises are appropriate for seated clients.
As always, encourage your residents to work according to their best abilities. The script seems lengthier and more time consuming than it actually is. Everything depends on how much energy you as an activity leader are willing to put into the program.
Check with the doctors, therapy and nursing departments to learn about contraindications &/or necessary modifications for your group.
You are welcomed to print and share w/anyone. The material is copyrighted; so, please give credit where it's due.
Allegedly, embedding a pdf in blogger is ooohhh so easy ....... not.
So, one thing i noticed as i bustled about this holiday season attempting to meet expectations of people i barely know was the effect the so called "war on christmas" has had on seasonal well wishing.
There was very little, if any, well wishing at all. No cheery "Merry Christmas " or "Happy Holidays."
Just the regular "have a nice day" followed by my usual response, "yep. you too."
Words are important. Powerful. But in some cases, words are words. Merry Christmas, happy holidays, seasons greetings simply take the place of "have a nice day" for about a month. The cashier at Target, who has been on her feet for for the last 5 hours? She probably doesn't really give a hoot whether or not you have a merry xmas, happy holiday, or a nice day. She just wants to get through her day without incident. And the fact that some crazy conservative who has spent the last 5 hours listening to Fox fiction, may go off on her if she uses the wrong terminology most likely dampens her desire to say anything.
And the same goes the other way. The underpaid full time retail worker who may likely qualify for food stamps because the company doesn't give 2 craps about her health and well being. She might also be one of those folks who spend their free time hanging with O'Reilly, Hannity, & the like . Hence, it may be her, the tired, underpaid cashier who is hoping that she'll actually have the money to take her things out of lay away by Christmas, who is hesitant to extend seasonal well wishes because, you know, she may become a target for some imagined liberal campaign for solidarity.
So, i think i encountered one person who extended a 'merry Christmas' to which i replied, "yep. you too."
Then the holiday was over. And the light shone through. Everything in general felt ..... lighter. Christmas was over. New Year was approaching. New Year's Day. A singular, secular holiday. No stress, no mess, no contention. The confusion was lifted.
Well wishes for the new year abounded. "Happy New Year!" exclaimed grocers, convenient store clerks, retail workers, random people on the street. Those 3 words were like a deep sigh, a safe haven.
So, what has happened because of the "war on Christmas"? Well, that time between November and the end of December has become just like any other time, just a bit more expensive and busier.
The one cool thing about the holiday season was the feeling that for a brief period of time people were united in the hustle and bustle. Whether someone wished another a merry xmas, happy holidays, we knew what they meant. Be well, stay warm, enjoy.
Nothing more or less. Now extending that same salutation could be seen as a call to arms.
Sad.
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The real war on Christmas in my opinion is being led by the same captains of capitalism that so many editorialists espouse as being the cornerstone of righteousness in society.
I mean, look at this:
This nonsense was on the shelves on Christmas Eve MORNING!!! How did they even have time to stock that?
So, annoying!!!
Not sure whether others understand my indignation when it comes to this. Maybe i got so bent because i had yet to do my xmas shopping (the aforementioned hustle & bustle was work related). Maybe my outrage is due to the kind of full time work that I do. Constantly propelling oneself forward from traditional holiday to wacky holiday, & from event to event can take its toll.
Look, the holiday season wasn't even over. What about New Year's? In fact, Christmas hadn't happened!!! And the retailers were pushing us forward. Forward Forward Forward. Always moving.
There is nothing wrong with forward motion, or planning. I mean, the earth keeps spinning; the seasons keep moving. It's natural.
However, we as people need to take time to rest on our laurels of celebration. To think, "wow, this has been a great holiday." And yes, we can ignore the valentine's candy until the proper time. Nobody is forcing anyone to buy it. But.... it's still there. A chocolatey seed in the brain, a gooey gust of wind pushing us forward whispering "move along. move along. there's nothing to see here."
It's been a long time since i posted on my blog(s). Too long.
Many posts started.
Many posts left unfinished.
Such is life.
I know a lady who has Alzheimer's. She was a prolific crocheter. Skien after skien of yarn we gave her.
She is in a nursing home and was very convinced that she was being held against her will. She was also very convincing.
What do you like to do?
I like to crochet.
You should crochet.
How can i crochet when i have no yarn.
Skien after skien of yarn we handed her.
Everyone who met her was convinced that she would be o.k. She would adapt, if she just had some yarn.
Can you get her some yarn? She's bored. She wants to crochet.
Skien after skien of yarn we handed her.
Her dresser drawers were filled w/unfinished projects.
This is beautiful handiwork. Will you finish it?
How can i finish? I don't have any yarn.
The post list on my blogs are like this.
If only i had more "yarn"
yarn being time, ideas, focus, motivation, energy
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The Zen masters say "do one thing mindfully". "When you wash a dish, simply wash the dish".
"If only," says my soul
"Get over it," says my brain "silly zen masters. You have to work for a living. Free thinking must be squeezed in between responsibilities." My brain can be a real bitch.
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There are many cans of garbanzo beans on the counter. Like 6 cans of garbanzos. And a half bag of dried.
Yeah. I had plans baby. Big plans.
Garbanzo goddess, i am.
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You know, i don't understand this whole terrorist thing. This intense fear of Syrian refugees.
Of course bad people are going to sneak in with the good people.
That's just how it is.
Bad people sneak into everywhere. No more babies then. Bad people sneak into the world out of birth canals too.
But really, are you that afraid?
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You know what makes me stop and ponder?
In one of the front yards in my neighborhood there is a used disposable diaper. It's been there for over a week. Since the night of the big wind, it's been there. Why has no-one picked it up?
Today about 3 feet away from the dirty diaper there was a wrapped condom.
Why?
Is it a gift? A suggestion? A statement? Art?
I wanted to take a picture.
But it was light out. It's a weekend. People are home. My 2 dogs were pulling on their leashes and ....
i was a little nervous.
We live in a society with a old west mentality.
A piece of paper allows anyone to "conceal & carry."
Yeah.
Paris was horrific.
Beirut- horrific.
Isis -horrific.
Redneck Roy with his pistol in his back pocket - horrific.
Oath keepers - horrific.
Oklahoma bombing,
Columbine, Newtown, Chardon, Umpqua - horrific.
Road rage - horrific.
You are afraid of refugees? I'm afraid to go to a movie.
Or to Walmart. Some pistol packing mother may leave her purse open.
I may get my head blown off by her curious toddler.
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I hate Walmart. Shit probably happens at Target too though.
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Why aren't people up in arms about this conceal and carry nonsense? I mean. WTF??? I personally don't want to have to worry that the dude in line behind me at the grocery is carrying a fucking pastor. Ha ha. Pistol. Or a pastor too, really. Those people can be really annoying. And they're probably packing.
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I should make hummus.
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I'm not really afraid of refugees, terrorists, rednecks, death. Bring it on.
I am afraid of growing old.
And not having enough yarn.
Right after we moved into our house, my husband & I were investigating all its nooks and crannies. We were examining the closet in my son's room when we met the previous tenant.
She was a large lady .. or man. Frighteningly large. Huge, I would say. And those legs .... shew.... those legs didn't stop. And her skin, black and shiny as though she had been freshly washed and waxed. We never got her name. Our screams sent her scurrying & we never saw her again.
But I will never forget her. She was aaallll legs. Had she wanted to, she could've become a frightening bracelet around my dainty wrist. Which... actually could've been pretty cool. Maybe we could've become a fantastic crime fighting duo webbing up ne'er-do-wells and what not. Giving Spider man a bit of competition - or assistance. Or, at the very least we could've made one heck of a fashion statement.
As I said she was a big lady. There was just not a jar big enough to catch her and put her outside to prey on mice and stray cats. And, she looked indestructible .... and crunchy. Like, if you tried to stomp her, she would simply lift a leg, easily place it on your shoe, give a little flick and flip you over in a most graceful Ninja spider kind of way. But, if you happened to be successful, the squishing would sound like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir munching potato chips in unison. CRRRRRUUNCH!!
Although, she was so shiny and slippery looking. Any attempt of squishing may have resulted in the would be squisher to land flat on his back vaudeville style.
Thankfully she scurried into a hole in the baseboard before we had to act. Being expert new homeowners, we promptly filled the hole with a crumpled sheet of notebook paper, then closed the closet door and never spoke of it again.
When I was a kid, I loved decorating the Christmas tree. And by decorating, I mean hanging every last bulb and bauble on that poor tree then topping it off with a box or 2 of tinsel.
But, I'm all grown up now, allegedly. And, um, I still do the same exact thing hee heee. Well, actually, this year my personal tree was quite grown up, thank you. However, every year we have decorated a tree at a local metro park. These trees are always themed & the decorations are sometimes handmade - or, some of them are anyway. Our tree is usually the most full and ..... umm..... interesting. & yes, it's January. But xmas is an insane season. & honesty, i don't know if anyone actually sees the tree at the part. Allegedly, it's always very crowded and chaotic there during their holiday festivities. So, these are tree ideas i thought i would share in case someone ever has to do a silly themed tree &, i don't know, because i have pictures of these trees and need to do something with them. This year, the tree had an elf theme. This was a theme that had been used before. So, some of the elves were able to be reused. However, most of the other decorations had become scattered. Anyway - pretty simple - Just took pictures of staff & residents and print shopped the faces onto elf bodies. Time consuming but doable. The other decorations were simply toys purchased from the dollar store. (some elfin faces have been blurred d/t hippa)
One of my favorite decorations on this tree was the jacks. And the super balls.
I kind of liked this tree this year. I thought it was kind of playful and happy. Of course, the other trees were way more mature and not nearly as full. But...... screw it.
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Last year, the theme was "pearls of wisdom." This was an idea given to me by another activity director.
She had scoured thrifts and gotten pearl necklaces and such throughout the year. I tend to live more "spontaneously". There was a lot of stringing of beads going on. Eventually I found cheap pearl-like garland at Marc's. Shew! At first I thought - hey, let's make our own pearls. I & "M" "A" & "K" gave and great college try. But..... no. We did end up with
cute -ish little pearly decorations though.
Some of these we hot glued pipe cleaners to and then made that curly-q thing w/a pencil, you know?
Basically, the tree consisted of pearls and stuff.
We also cut hearts out of poster board, decoupaged wrapping paper on them. Then we asked the residents to share some "words of wisdom." And put them on the hearts. The project was a bit larger than I would have liked it to be.
& oh, yes - there was a crap load of bow making. Thank goddess for you tube.
Oh, yeah. We also made these sparkly things with glitter and Pledge.
The tree was a bit loppy. But .... meh.
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The year before that we did a woodland theme. Same concept as the elves, but turned people into little animals and used pine cones and birds and such for decorations.
Can't find those pictures though.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave constructive comments or questions.
There are a couple of things that are circulating on Facebook that have me more than a bit irked. First.....
This is an awesome video. I've seen it circulating with the description something like "a Jewish lady sings to a Christian lady." BFD. The lady singing is Naomi Feil. She created the Validation technique, a way to interact with people who are treading water in the murky slough of Alzheimer's.
The fact that Naomi is Jewish and Gladys is Christian has absolutely nothing to do with anything here. Although Naomi has a graduate degree in something & her title is a social worker, she is basically just an activity professional. And when one is just an activity professional, one is whatever one is needed to be in the moment. Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Atheist. It just doesn't matter. There is no religion when it comes to working w/Alzheimer's residents. All you needs is empathy, patience, compassion and most importantly detachment from a supposed end result.
This is not a Christmas miracle or even an example of god's greatness. (I think those who think this should read up on the symbolisms of validation technique.) This is is just what any activity professional that is worth a damn would do.
So, Get over it!!
Naomi may well have worked with Gladys every day for 6 months, a year, a week. Maybe not singing these songs, but sitting with her holding her hand, reading to her, massaging her forehead, showing her pictures ..... whatever. Or, this may have been their first interaction. There is no formula nor timetable. Also, Naomi may have seen this response only once. Gladys may very well have retreated back into her memory den, never to respond in this or any other way again.
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I once worked with a lady i'll call "B". She was deeply confused and extremely anxious. Her disease was not as progressed as Gladys'. B was still verbal although to describe her speech as nonsensical would be an understatement. I decided i was going to have a poetry group and see what happened. I shut the door, put on relaxing classical music and showed the residents pictures of landscapes. Most everyone fell asleep except B.
B & I looked at a picture of the ocean. I told her we were going to write a poem. And asked her to talk to me about the picture. She asked what it was. I told her it was the ocean.
& this is what we got:
I've always liked the Ocean,
my mother was born very near it.
I've always thought my father kept a magical part of it in his soul.
I've always liked the ocean.
It's wild and uncontrollable.
Alive, not easily reachable.
Marvelous waves. Unstoppable.
You can't stop a wave.
My mother and father were close to the ocean.
I didn't know that until they were older.
Stronger.
My memories of my mother and father are as of the waves.
Unstoppable, beautiful.
I've always liked the ocean.
Yes. She said all that. I arranged a bit. But those were her words. And yes, she did repeat "i've always liked the ocean."
And... this never happened again. I tried ... a few times. But that was all she had to say about that.
I guess.
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I once worked w/a lady, "L". L loved to stay in her bed and make wonderful works of art on the wall with her feces. She was combative, aggressive, downright nasty & minimally verbal. She was pretty deep into her disease and also very very hard of hearing. One to one time w/L. was one of my one to one assignments. Yay. :/
Since communication was limited, i simply visited w/L and showed her pictures. By doing this i discovered that she really liked birds as evidenced by the length of time she looked at those pictures and a softening of facial expressions. I decorated her walls with pictures of birds.
I decided we would try some coloring. I brought a coloring page of a bird and crayons & showed it to L.
Nothing.
I colored a bit of the picture then offered her the crayon. She took it and began coloring ... just a little. She said "pretty." Just a word but an appropriate one. When I left she said "Thank you."
Did she ever color again? Hell no. Nor, did she ever really interact with me that positively again. But that one time was pretty cool. And it happened after weeks and weeks of visits.
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I guess what i'm saying is this: no matter how deeply entrenched a person is in her Alzheimer's/dementia. She is still in there. And bringing her out, getting a response, is a lot of work sometimes. And a lot of detachment all the time. But it can be done. For a moment anyway. And if it is done, it will usually be done by those who are considered to be the lip gloss of the facility. Those with the "cake job." By those people who are just activity professionals.
