I was alerted to a wonderful, amazing video today, showing how a family coped with the diagnosis of Alzheimer's for their 57 year old dad. The film is shot by one of the sons, Chris Wynn, and shows the ups and downs of their journey.
What I like about this video in particular is that it shows how the family still found ways to connect and incorporate activity with their dad/husband. Music had been important to their dad and they were able to continue to use music to bring out singing, dancing, and wonderful times with friends and family. No doubt this family had many moments of struggle, heart ache, frustration, and grief, as well, along their journey; but these dementia caregivers did not let that be their full story.
Currently, their are no magic drugs on the market to cure Alzheimer's. All we have are finding ways to cope, adapt, and interact to meet the needs of the person living with dementia - and really, this extends to meeting the needs of the family. Music therapy can be a wonderful way to connect with a loved one, as it is a failure-free activity. What other dementia activities have you tried that bring joy and sucess?
If you’d like to use this article in your own newsletter or on your web site, you are welcome to reprint it in its entirety with an active link to our web site and the following author info: “By Monica Heltemes, Occupational Therapist and Owner of MindStart. Providing cognitive stimulation, engagement and joy for people living with dementia - visit www.mind-start.com."