Enjoy Assisted Living

Cindy Keith is a Certified Dementia Nurse and has written a helpful book about communication and skills relating to the care and service of individuals living with dementia. The best part of the book “Love Laughter & Mayhem” is the personal feeling of direct experience Cindy relates and the powerful stories that unfold, allowing the reader to experience first-hand accounts of many situations that actually happened. I felt closer to the people she describes in her travels and career and that makes this book a worthwhile read for healthcare workers, CNAs, Nurses, Doctors, Assisted Living Managers and other professional communicators. I found this book for sale at www.booklocker.com which is an online bookstore. Cindy also has a special place in her heart for the caregiver who is willing to open their hearts as well as their minds to better communication.

Growing up with an “everything from scratch” Italian heritage, my Great,Great Aunt Nuna would roll fresh ravioli filling through the grinder and roll out the dough, cut it and spoon the filling and take a fork and seal the edges. Cooked to perfection, and don’t get me started about the sauce. The music that played in the background was The Beatles, of course, this was the 60’s era and my college cousins were up on things. The meatballs were a work of art and nothing can and will ever compare to those Sundays at Uncle Vinnie and Aunt Violet’s for dinner. The experience is a combination of many sensations and the fact is that we have the opportunity every morning, afternoon and evening to make the most of “family-style” memories using music, caring and well-presented food. Conversations about the “old-times” are the result of the people that orchestrated “the old-times”. Today will be “the old-times” tomorrow. Put some thought into the way you are approaching the value of meal preparation and presentation, keep it interesting and interject humor whenever possible. For instance, tonight we had hot-dogs and beans and I claimed that I am following a recipe by either Jesse James or Buffalo Bill Cody and everyone laughed. While cooking I sang “Home, Home On The Range” and that got the next laugh. How can we make life into an experience worth waking up to. I guess that’s a choice for everyone to make on their own each day. Who wrote the song, “I’m A Believer”? I’ll bet The Monkeys were glad that someone woke up one day and wrote that fantastic tune. Have fun today and write a new song with this day.

In building trust and cultivating excellent communication one impressive question can open you up to another world you may want to experience, your client’s world. The question is simple and it really works, “What’s your story?”. Ask that question and you may get to know someone. You may find out what are the most important and meaningful times in another person’s life and spend valuable time with them that they may never forget. As they begin to unfold the history of their life and experiences it is important to be “all ears” and listen with the sole intent of learning what life has taught them, sharing their precious memories with your very heart. What’s your story and how does this help a manager or caregiver, how does it help an assisted living resident? Managers get to know their employees, caregivers get to know their patients, the consumer gets to talk about what’s most important to them…their story. It’s a great way to stimulate conversation and promote memory care through recalling events of the past and present. People will look forward to meeting with you the next time they see you because you have taken time to care. You have invested time in educating yourself about the aspects and realities of a fellow earthling’s live and times. Congratulations on taking the first step in planting seeds in your growing garden of friends. So the big question remains for you to answer for yourself…”What’s Your Story?”.

I used to listen to The Beatles and the song about getting older and losing my hair always seemed so distant and well, comical to me. Then one day someone commented on waking up in the morning to find some of their hair on their pillow. He commented, “What held this in yesterday?”. Again we find some comedy intertwined within the reality of aging. I am getting gray around the sides and don’t ask the barber to take too much off the top so I can cover the thinning and I guess the loss of hair provides me a chance to laugh at myself. Hey, I still got my sense of humor and I think I will keep feeding my mind food for laughter long after I may become 65 or 105. This blog may provide food for thought and even recipes for food. This blog is designed with laughter in mind and the sound of open minds that are ready to share ideas, activities and places to go that benefit our senior living participants. Feel free to share your experiences and don’t hesitate to share struggles and victories in the services you have provided for people in assisted living home or adult living homes throughout the United States and even around the world.

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