TeamAlzheimers.org - ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR

TeamAlzheimers Donations

Team Alzheimers has been very busy this year providing the following assistance and services through its generous donations:

Assistance to Second Wind Dreams Program at Mount Ascutney Hospital. To support the wishes of some of their residents and see they are fulfilled. Second Wind Dreams Program at Mount Ascutney Hospital. I met with the Director of the Therapeutic Recreation Department. Michael is so enthusiastic about this program. We had a wonderful discussion about the wishes of some of their residents and how they were fulfilled. Michael talked about a gentleman with Dementia who was a boxer in his early days and wanted to go to a boxing match. Because this gentleman was old and frail, they knew he would not be able to travel, they also knew time was essential as he did not have much time left, so they brought the boxing match to town! It took a lot of community effort and time, which is what this program is all about. This man was delighted. His agitation decreased after that evening. He only lived for another week but during that week, he was calm, happy and fulfilled. Michael had many more stories to tell which were just as endearing and engaging. We were so excited to be able to contribute to such a worthy program. One of the benefits from TeamAlzheimers donation was a book published by Margaret Snyer entitled “Prayer Poems and Short Stories”.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Centers for Healthy Aging: The Dartmouth-Hitchcock Aging Resource Center connects older adults and their families with health information, supportive services, and compassionate, coordinated care. Reflecting the mission of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, the Center is committed to advancing the health and well-being of older adults through clinical practice and community partnerships, providing each person the best care, in the right place, at the right time, every time.

A couple programs that TeamAlzheimers has contributed to are:
Art programs which caregivers and their loved ones come to, along with kids. Arts is a way to reach people with Alzheimers and also provides an outlet for caregivers. There is growing evidence of the positive benefits of the arts for people with Alzheimer's disease.

The workshop is called Joining the Generations - Tai Chi and Visual Art
Ages 10 – 110
Tai Chi has many health benefits, including improved balance, stamina, and breathing, as well as reduced stress and enhanced feelings of well-being. Participants will learn the ancient art of Tai Chi (gentle stretching and relaxation) and create a series of art projects, ranging from collage to mobiles. This intergenerational workshop is a unique opportunity to make new friends of all ages and discover the ways that movement, energy, and artwork can unite and complement one another.

Memory Books. TeamAlzheimers is also working with Dartmouth Centers for Health and Aging and has supplied these Memory journals to anyone that visits the Center. Many have remarked on the value and the joy these are brining as they sit down with their grandchildren and record history.

Listen Community Service Program. TeamAlzheimers has also been able to help subsidize two elderly families with their heating fuel for this winter. Winter is long and cold. Warmth is essential -- especially living in the Northeast. Soaring oil prices are cause for alarm. Government assistance is inadequate. Listen's Heating Helper Program protects seniors and families from having to choose between warmth, food or medicine. Listen can provide an emergency delivery of fuel, assistance to prevent an electric disconnect, and/or referrals and advocacy for public programs or resources.

For some, the holidays are a challenging time and TeamAlzheimers was able to donate to Listen's Holiday Baskets program. Reaching out is important all year round and it is especially heartwarming during the holiday season. Seniors often experience loneliness, anxiety or depression. Listen's Holiday Basket Program creates that much needed connection and spreads the joy of the season. Recipient families complete a wish list for warm clothing other gift items. Local families, businesses and other groups donate their time and resources to sponsor a household.

Elder Care Workshops. TeamAlzheimers is also working with Dartmouth College Human Resources to provide Elder Care workshops for Dartmouth Employees. All of these are presented and underwritten by TeamAlzheimers.

Some of the workshops provided have been:
Estate Planning: Legal and Financial Issues presented by Timothy Caldwell, Caldwell Law.

Dr. Robert Santulli, Elder Care: Impact on Dementia Caregivers.

A play entitled “Norman and Beatrice”. It is a one-act play written by Barbara Hammond of New York City who has ties to the Upper Valley. It is a day in the life of her parents based on notes her mother kept and e-mailed or mailed to her on a regular basis. This was done as a reading for 30 minutes in Bentley Theater. Immediately following, there was a question and answer period with Dr Santulli. The entire presentation lasted 90 minutes.

“Baby Boomers as Caregivers”.
Taking care of parents in gradual decline has become a responsibility more and more baby boomers must assume, often for extended years. Dartmouth Medical School faculty member and locally known and broadly experienced geriatrician, Dr. Dennis McCullough has devoted much of his career to tending to elders and their families, and he recognizes that today's medicine is just not meeting the needs or respecting the wishes of older patients. Now Dr. McCullough tackles the complex choices and critical issues confronting the elderly population over age 80 and their families as they embark on this Late Life odyssey in MY MOTHER, YOUR MOTHER: Embracing "Slow Medicine," the Compassionate Approach to Caring for Your Aging Loved Ones (HarperCollins Publishers; February 2008).

As he explains it, "My vision of better care for elders in late life is not a call for a nostalgic return to some imagined romantic past when the lone family doctor sat by the bedside by candlelight tending the ill. It is rather a stern and impassioned call to help families struggling to care for their aging and frail elders; to preserve quality of life even in the face of difficult and accumulating diseases; and to mend their neglect by modern health care 'systems.”

Elder Care: Common Physical Problems of Aging Justin Montgomery RN,BSN

Scholarships. TeamAlzheimers has also contributed five - $500 scholarships to High Schools for those entering the Medical field with an emphasis on Gerontology. The applicants must write an essay indicating why they should receive this scholarship. One student from each school is chosen.

Good Morning! This is a telephone reassurance program in the Upper Valley for older adults or adults with disabilities who live alone and are at risk of sudden illness, falls, accidents, and social isolation. TeamAlzheimers has also donated to this program.

Of note: Six of the Good Morning! volunteers are in their 80s. They have always been very active volunteers in the community through RSVP but now that they are driving less or doing less because of their own health or caregiving responsibilities, Good Morning! gives them an opportunity to continue helping others.

Aging In Place, Norwich Vermont. This is a grassroots, neighbor-to-neighbor volunteer organization intended to support residents and their families to remain in their homes, independently, as they age. They provide services, public forums, workshops and speakers to the community.

Thank you to everyone that donated money, time, and energy!! It's been fun!