Two Ways to Communicate with Those with Alzheimer’s

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One of the most frequent questions I receive goes something like this, “My mother is in late stage Alzheimer’s, and I just don’t know how to reach her.”

In last week’s blog post, I shared about the powerful Validation technique (founded by Naomi Feil), and provided the link to a video clip showing Naomi in a breakthrough with an elderly woman who seemed to be unreachable.

In the past week, I found 2 more excellent sites and resources that can help a family member or an eldercare professional reach a person with Alzheimer’s, even in late stage.  Both focus on reaching the long-term memory, the last memory that an Alzheimer’s patient loses.  

1.  The Alzheimer’s Poetry Project (APP) was founded in 2004 by poet Gary Glazner.  This effort has now reached over 9,500 people with Alzheimer’s, in the US and abroad.

The mission of the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project is to “enhance the quality of life for people with Alzheimer’s disease, their families and professional health care workers.”  Classic poems, commonly learned in childhood, are read to those with Alzheimer’s, often while holding hands.

The people served by this program are often in the late stage of Alzheimer’s and may no longer be able to hold a conversation.  Glazner said it is amazing to see them respond to poems by saying words along with the person/family member reading.  It’s not unusual for the person with Alzheimer’s to laugh at a funny poem or shed a tear while listening to a sad poem.  Glazner said so many of these people may not even recognize family members, but when they respond to the poem, it provides a special connection for the person and their family member.  ”APP is about sparking memories.”

If you’re a family member, the link below offers an excellent Introduction and list of suggested poems along with complete text for several of the poems.

If you’re an eldercare professional interested in starting a APP program in your area, Glazner’s contact information is provided.  He is available for training and consulting.

Be sure to read the Introduction at the following link, and you’ll also be able to find text for several suggested poems at: http://www.alzpoetry.com/book/

2.  Memory Moments with Lori La Bey, founder of Alzheimer’s Speaks Blog.  In a powerful video (link below), Lori shows how she cares for people with Alzheimer’s, just as she has cared for her own mother (with Alzheimer’s) for the past 20 years.  Lori “listens, looks deep inside and reaches back” into the person’s memories.  The video shows Lori interacting with residents at Lakeview Ranch.  Lori believes in respect and dignity for every person and the importance of truly focusing on each individual.  Listen carefully to the gentleman as Lori thanks him for his time.  His response literally took my breath away.

The video is at http://www.youtube.com/user/brilliantimage#p/a/u/0/-mKqh_uCckc

Lori La Bey’s wonderful blog is at: http://alzheimersspeaks.wordpress.com/

Tagged as: Aging Parent, Alzheimer's, Caregiver, Caregiving, Dementia, Eldercare, Elderly, Memory