Awkward moments when visiting relatives ...

Chatting to elderly grandparents, great grandparents or relatives with dementia may sometimes present awkward or silent moments.

Help initiate conversations ~ trigger memories and prompt recollections ~ help grand-children chat to great-grandparents ... enjoy special moments together:

Time to Chat ~ Memory Prompts for Conversation
People, Pets, Places, World War II, Familiar Faces and more at:
www.dementiaworkshop.co.uk

* Ideal for hospital volunteer visitors.
* Ideal for carers in residential care and dementia homes.
* Ideal for domiciliary care.
* Ideal for support teams in day centres.
* Ideal for gifts.

Carers' Centres nationwide ...

Whilst tidying up my computer files, I came across a magazine article which I may have forgotten to share with you ... but more importantly it reminded me of some requests that people often ask me. When I'm out and about, taking Dementia Workshop products to exhibitions, vintage fairs, health and care shows etc., people often ask for advice, or where they can access advice and support. The article below is printed in Blackpool Carers Centre; 'Caring Times' which is full of advice and published quarterly.
http://www.blackpoolcarers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Caring-Times-Spring-13-email.pdf

Of course, there's lots of advice about pretty much everything on the internet, but real person-to-person support can be found at carer centres nationwide.

Click on the link below, to see Carers Trust carer centres across the UK. So if you need help, support or advice for yourself or for the person you are caring for, get in touch with a carers centre near you:

http://www.carers.org/carers-services/find-your-local-service

Gillian

Happy Puppy Days ... Health benefits ...

 The benefits of owning a pet ...

Meet nine week old Lily, Coco, Jessie, Annie or Lola ... ?

Whilst the family continue to debate puppy's name, the springer spaniel is getting to know her way around the house, finding things to have a chew at and barking at the cat. 

She's been with us one day and brought so much love, it's impossible to measure.

If you are a carer, some residents may benefit from stroking, patting or admiring a pet.

Is there a relative, friend or neighbour who could visit with a dog or cat?

Dr. Oz Reveals 

Why Pets Really Improve Your Health

Having an animal in your home is great for your heart and your waistline,
your immunity, your blood vessels....

By Dr. Mehmet Oz

Check out Oprah Winfrey's website: http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Pets-and-Health-Benefits-Why-Keeping-A-Pet-is-Good-For-You for the whole of this amazing information about the health benefits of owning or looking after a pet:

'If you've ever loved a pet, you know the kind of joy animals can bring. But I'm especially excited about the mounting evidence that they can improve our physical well-being, too. (Former president of the Mayo Clinic staff, Edward Creagan, MD, is so convinced of the healing powers of pets, he has literally prescribed them for a third of his cancer patients.) Here's a look at how your health might benefit from an animal companion.'

Lower Blood Pressure. 
The simple act of petting an animal—or even gazing at an aquarium—results in a drop in blood pressure. And pets can have a longer-term impact on the cardiovascular system, too, as researchers discovered when they tracked 24 hypertensive stockbrokers who adopted a cat or dog. Pet ownership blunted the blood pressure response to mental stress; the traditionally prescribed hypertension drug did not.

A Stronger Heart. 
Researchers who followed 369 heart attack survivors in the landmark Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial found that dog owners had only a 1 percent chance of dying within a year, compared with a 7 percent chance for subjects who didn't have a dog. A newer study, from 2009, found that people who had owned a cat at some point in their lives were 37 percent less likely to die of a heart attack than those who hadn't. 

Greater Calm for Alzheimer's Patients 
And for their families. Much of the burden of this disease (which afflicts one in eight people 65 and older) falls on patients' relatives, and I've seen it crush the spirit of even the most loving caretakers. But studies have revealed that Alzheimer's patients have fewer anxious outbursts if an animal is present, and research shows that caregivers can feel less burdened as well, especially if the animal is a cat (perhaps because cats require little additional care). 

A study published in the Western Journal of Nursing Research found that even pet fish can help by facilitating healthy weight gain among Alzheimer's patients, who often suffer from a lack of adequate nutrition. In the presence of an aquarium, patients who paced tended to sit still longer, while patients who were typically lethargic became more attentive. Both effects led to better eating at mealtimes. 

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Pets-and-Health-Benefits-Why-Keeping-A-Pet-is-Good-For-You/2#ixzz2g2kucmBg

Remember, owning a pet is a long-term physical and financial commitment. 
If you are considering having a pet to care for, think about the type of pet which would most suit you, your family, your location, mobility and wallet or purse!
Be aware of possible vet bills and take advice on pet insurance.

Gillian.

Finding the Happy You ...

Good Morning everyone. I'm looking through the window, the sky is clear and bright. The trees are waving in the gentle breeze that's inviting me to go for a healthy walk. I've decided to eat healthily today, do some work, visit a friend and chill out.

If every day began and operated like that, life would be a piece of cake [or maybe a rosy apple]. Do you ever wake up and dread the day, your first thoughts being the heavy weight of tasks ahead, complicated work-load you're facing or the responsibility of looking after a loved one who needs constant care? If I'm totally honest, I sometimes do. Don't get me wrong, I love my work and I like to be busy all the time and I care for my mother on a daily basis but I can sometimes be guilty of taking too much on, burning the candle deep into the night and feeling tired the next day.

As always, I'm researching for my work for carers, student support and people living with dementia. I decided to make myself a list of priority points to consider when I wake up and feel overloaded. So, here it is, just in case the sun isn't shining, the breeze is gale force and you fancy a cake for breakfast:

A list of my feel-good favourites for difficult mornings:

On waking, take a few moments to stretch out slowly. Arms above your head, just make yourself as long as you can. Repeat this a few times and relax in between.

Draw some deep in-breaths and release slowly.

Take a long look at the weather and embrace it - even if it's raining.
[I find this distracts me from the duties ahead and clears my head a little]

Drink a large glass of water before you prepare for the day - feeling better already.

Have a longer shower than normal - use extra soapy, bubbly or favourite fragrant bath/shower products.
Guys - choose something zingy to stir the senses.

Whilst you're in the shower/bath/leaning against the sink - choose one enjoyable ME thing to do during the day. It doesn't have to take up lots of your time - it could be making a plan to meet up with old friends. Do something unusual [pop into a library or museum, intriguing shop, park] - or normal - get a haircut.

Choose one of your favourite outfits or cool piece of clothing to wear - even to work.

Eat a really healthy breakfast - this will make you feel quite smug - it's early and you've already by made the right choices. Include a yoghurt and piece of dark chocolate if you can. Apparently chocolate is an anti-oxidant and yogurt kills off bad bacteria and helps your stomach stay quiet during the day.

Choose the 3 most important tasks that need to be achieved that day.

Select the most important of the 3 tasks. Focus on that one for a few minutes, simplifying the plan/content/order/structure in your mind.

Work out where you can slot the other two tasks in. Could you delegate them? Should you re-schedule them for another day? Relegate them? Before you leave your house, decide what you'll do with the other two tasks.

Leave for work/college/volunteer role/meeting/other, a few minutes early. Being on the last minute always causes stressful feelings.

Take some peppermint with you - mint sweets/chewing gum/peppermint tea - apparently mint helps with fatigue by stimulating = alertness.

Smile. For no reason. Smile at everyone you meet [within reason - don't make a nuisance of yourself on the tube or at the bus queue and get yourself arrested]. At least 'think smile'.

When you write things down, they're more likely to happen. Anon.

Make your own list - Enjoy your day.

Gillian

Memory Joggers and more ...

Why not treat someone you love and care for?

Happy Days Memory Joggers are designed for our elders, people who need extra care or living with dementia to prompt memory and share recollections.

Enjoy special moments together... 

All About Me

Watch the smiles ...

My Memory Jogger

Memory Joggers make ideal gifts for relatives and friends
Buy at www.dementiaworkshop.co.uk

Setting goals ...

'Set a goal and outline what it takes to achieve it. 

Then stop trying to achieve the goal. 

Just achieve each step you outlined along the way.'

For more planning or business ideas, check out Solved https://www.facebook.com/marketing.advice

Couldn't have said it better myself. I do find that a huge task or goal often over-faces me. I often put off setting about the necessary events to reach a specific goal, completing trivial tasks first. I spend much time thinking and more time procrastinating. To be honest, setting out what I need to do on paper has saved a considerable amount of time. As the quote says, 'outline what it takes.'

I'm a list person. List-making is high priority for me. If I'm over-faced with something, I like to make a list of all the things I have to do. ... I have lists of lists. But that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm obsessive about the order of things. I like lists to relieve my brain from holding lots of trivial information; post a package - buy a birthday present, write a speech, fix a dripping tap, deliver a get well card, edit a book and so on.

But the problem is that my goals end up muddled in between this list of everyday tasks and trivia, often becoming overlooked. I sometimes sort items on my lists into importance categories - only to find that I'm over-faced with the most important big-goal/task category. I then permit myself to procrastinate some more. 

Solved's quote quite simply beginning, 'Set a goal', has made me realise that each goal needs it's own list! An idea which pleased me greatly.

So now, when I have an idea for a new project, I set the goal title on a new page. I try to avoid listing - so I draw boxes with a stage title relating to the goal. I jot down associated tasks and ideas in the relevant box. I organise the boxes into stages of importance. The boxes / stages don't over-face me and I have noticed that I'm much more focussed when I'm trying to accomplish the steps in the boxes. Small tasks in each box appear do-able and before I know it, I'm onto the next stage. Feeling a sense of achievement motivates me to continue to the next box or stage until I reach the goal.

So I'd like to say thanks to Solved for sharing their motivating tips - and remember ... If you're following your dream[s] - dreams are goals - set out the goal and achieve each step along the way.

Gillian

Beat the treats ...

I just love this information website:

This week, Change for Life's challenge has been to swap children's sweet treats for healthier options.

Try to swap 4 sweet treats for fruit, milk or other healthy options.

I think I'll try it myself.

Check out this website for fun, easy-to follow tips and ideas, helping the whole family to stay healthy.

http://www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/Pages/smart-restart.aspx