Too Old??

You are never too old to try something new…

A concept proven today as I watched a group of elderly men and women experience their first “Mexican Meal”. We planned for days, talked about the different foods served in Mexico, and all of my senior friends said that they were unsure of how it would turn out, but were willing to give it a shot. They filed in, with Pandora pumping mariachi music, and spirits high, the lunch preparation began. We had a blast stuffing tortillas and faces alike. Everyone loved their lunch and 75% of the people had never tried this type of cuisine. The comments ranged from “better than I thought it would be” to “a real treat”. My personal favorite was when I asked one person who happened to be hard of hearing if she was ready for a Mexican dance, and was met with the exclamation of “I don’t want any man, Mexican or not”. Hahaha. The laughs kept coming, our bellies were full, and we all thought the fiesta was a success!

New experiences keep us fresh. We all get stuck in the same old patterns, but let’s take a lesson from these kids and remember that you never know until you try.

Way to Go Grey's

I love seeing the movement go mainstream!

McDreamy & Meredith are making waves in the right direction :)



http://abc.go.com/shows/greys-anatomy/video-detail/featured/leading-the-fight-against-alzheimers/pl_PL5520968/vd_VD5593036

Perils of Presenting

I did a guest lecture last night at Marshall University. My talk centered on dementia and the SLP’s role. A day later, it is interesting to reflect on that brief time I spent with the class. A little nervousness came over me, far different from my typical experience presenting. I am rarely nervous for an 8 hour day and room full of therapists, but this hour lecture to a few graduate students caused me to loose the timing and fluency that I have worked hard to perfect.

So after sleeping on it I realized what my deal was. I had a room full of people who were seemingly eager to hear what I had to say. Not your standard CE course with texting, passing notes to one another, (both distractors I have learned to tune out completely), but now I had the full attention of 25ish speech-language pathologists in the making. A very different audience that my norm. They were all fully aware, took notes diligently, and the amount of motivation in that room was overwhelming. That is a different sort of pressure than I am used to. The ladies’ passion and desire to take in all of the information they possibly could was refreshing, but also a bit nerve-racking.

I did however enjoy my time with that class and their eagerness was what I appreciated most. They had a look in their eyes, apparent excitement to learn, and thoughtful questioning. Their questions were more frank and to the point than I anticipated. I talked about dementia, how we can provide services throughout the stages, as well some of the reasons I love working with this population. As I started to wrap things up, two unanticipated questions came barreling at me. The first student asked if “I felt prepared for the work I do when I started in the field”, and I answered with honesty. Maybe I even laughing a little at the thought of feeling completely equipped at any phase, new grad or seasoned professional. I didn’t and still can’t be prepared for everything I encounter. The next student asked me if “I wanted to leave them with one thing what would that be?” Now this was the question I had not thought about, and I completely veered off topic. I told students not to box themselves in, not to underestimate what they can achieve, or how their skills might provide service. She probably wanted to know the gold standard for dementia treatment, but if you know me I tend to go beyond, and wanted to bestow a grander knowledge for life fulfillment J

It’s remarkable that we ended on such a note. I was completely out of my element for the evening, and feeling less than confident about it. My guidance to these students was to push the boundaries, and believe in their abilities. You know what? I think that is sound advice. I operate that way in my clinical practice, in my life, and my career. Hopefully the students saw it that way as well, and know that there is no cookbook, there is no right way to do it, or wrong way to do it. Life, work, treating patients, we just have to take what we know and apply it to the reality at that moment.

As Memories Slip Away

Just in case you missed NPR's Morning Edition this morning. I thought I'd share a link to the StoryCorps clip aired. This clip was recorded as part of the Memory Loss Initiative.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129454463

The Patterson's share what they have learned about living with Alzheimer's, and really living in the present moment. They hit on a key point for sure. Like Eleanor Roosevelt said...

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift; that's why they call it the present.

Listening and Loving

Many of you may know of the work I am currently doing with StoryCorps. There will be many exciting projects to come, but today something special will happen. NPR will be airing a beautiful clip that was recorded as part of the Memory Loss Initiative.

This morning at 8:20 on NPR's Morning Edition tune in to hear why I think StoryCorps is so wonderful, and its value with those we care for suffering from memory loss or dementia.

I hope you will listen and let me know what you think.

Past and Present

Each day I work with people who have dementia. I talk with them. I ask them to communicate and converse. I ask them to remember. So many of my interactions with these people begin with observation, and more often than not they are unoccupied until I initiate contact. Once dementia gets to a certain point, the person appears to be “living in the past”, and their reality shifts away from the one in which we live. No wonder they seem disengaged, they are not living in the same realm as you and I. As their disease worsens, remembering becomes increasingly difficult. At this point, we often focus with our elders, on examining the memories still left intact. Precisely recalling life’s history is valuable, but let’s consider another perspective…
The most important piece of the puzzle may be that by talking about the past we are actually helping the person with dementia be present. They are in the moment, actively engaged in narrating their life. For a person with loss of thinking and communicating abilities, the act of interacting is more valuable than remembering accurate details of life. It is an amazing gift to provide this opportunity for a person who often lives within the confines of their own world/head. Take a moment and speak those you know who don’t remember well, who can’t converse easily, and remember that the success is in the experience not the result.

Jan's Story

Last night I check my email to find a note from a person who attended one of my seminars. She referred me to last week's CBS Sunday Morning show, and simply stated that there was a segment I should see that was wonderfully done. I watched this video and was very touched. Barry Petersen when out on a limb, creating a relevant piece that is absolutely worth sharing.

Take a moment, click the link, scroll down, watch the video, and share your thoughts.

What if Jan's story was your family's?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/06/20/sunday/main6600364.shtml?tag=cbsnewsTwoColUpperPromoArea