Everyday items can play a big role in staving off the terrors of people with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. Hundreds of nursing homes are using these types of items to improve the quality of life and ease dementia among their residents. Some of the low-tech, inexpensive methods include a warm fleece-covered water bottle and fleece hand muffs to help calm a person, and encouraging residents to create memory boxes of items that focus on past events, weddings, jewelry, or gardening, as a way to stave off the effects of dementia, remember happy times in their lives, and even provoke conversations among residents. Other ideas include exercise programs, pet therapy, the telling of one's life story, sing-a-longs, art therapy, guided imagery, and even bowling. If you know someone with Alzheimer's these simple techniques may go a long way toward improving his or her quality of life, and you can read this article I posted last year for information on preventing Alzheimer's disease.
EurekAlert! March 15, 2003