When Kevin Jameson founded the Dementia Society of America he was on a journey of profound change with his wife, Ginny. For several years, Ginny had been living with dementia. As husband and caregiver, Kevin had become well-educated on the disease. Based on his experience with Ginny, he saw a need to create an organization… Read more »
Lakecia Harper, Healthcare Administrator at Blakeford at Green Hills, recently spoke with OurParents.com about how Assisted Living communities are able to meet the needs of the disabled. In an Assisted Living environment, older adults get the support they need with the activities of daily living (ADLs). As a result, they can spend their days enjoying… Read more »
When the team at Blakeford at Green Hills was introduced to the non-profit program Music & Memory, we wanted to be a part of their mission – to bring personalized music into the lives of our residents, helping improve their quality of life. After our certification in the Spring of 2015, a small group of Blakeford team members… Read more »
While their 84-year-old father recovered at a rehabilitation facility after landing in the hospital with symptoms of a mini-stroke, the Jones (not their real name) siblings took the opportunity to do some cleaning at his house. Opening the fridge, they were shocked to find layers of mold, hardened food and multiple jars of the same… Read more »
The first time I met Jim and Mary Ruth I was immediately struck by the love these two share for each other. All he has to do is walk in the room and Mary Ruth’s face beams. In 65 years of marriage, Jim and Mary Ruth have experienced much together. One of the many things they… Read more »
When you receive a serious medical diagnosis, it can feel as though that diagnosis replaces your identity. I am no longer myself — instead, now I am cancer, or heart attack or dementia. But even when we carry a diagnosis, we also continue to live our lives. We are more than our diseases and care… Read more »
One of the most important things to a caregiver of someone with Alzheimer’s is to know their loved one is happy. However, they are often so overwhelmed by the responsibility of caregiving, that the fun of being together is lost. All engagement tends to be for survival and not for enrichment. This often results in… Read more »
In June 2014, I came across a trailer for the documentary film Alive Inside. I was immediately taken with the film’s subject – the ability of music to reawaken memories thought to be lost through a program called Music & Memory. Now, a little more than a year later, Blakeford is a certified Music &… Read more »
I’m going to say something politically incorrect here: Sometimes our elderly parents make us a little nuts. (And sometimes they out-and-out drive us crazy.) We love you, Mom and Dad, but we’ve heard the story about Aunt Cissy pouring wine in the dog’s bowl so many times we can tell it ourselves — in our… Read more »
This is the second part of a two-part post. Click here for part one. The next step in the planning process is to make sure all decisions about housing and supportive care are in place. The most important question to ask is: What is the ultimate goal when implementing a plan? Some seniors are… Read more »
