Updates

10 Tips for Family Caregivers

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1. Seek support from other caregivers. You are not alone!
2. Take care of your own health so that you can be strong enough to take care of your loved one.
3. Accept offers of help and suggest specific things people can do to help you.
4. Learn how to communicate effectively with doctors.
5. Caregiving is hard work so take respite breaks often.
6. Watch out for signs of depression and don’t delay getting professional help when you need it.
7. Be open to new technologies that can help you care for your loved one.
8. Organize medical information so it’s up to date and easy to find.
9. Make sure legal documents are in order.
10. Give yourself credit for doing the best you can in one of the toughest jobs there is!

Source: Caregiver Action Network (CAN) is the nation’s leading family caregiver organization working to improve the quality of life for the more than 90 million Americans who care for loved ones with chronic conditions, disabilities, disease, or the frailties of old age.

Research indicates that jigsaw puzzling has a calming affect on seniors. Better yet, some research shows it can keep the brain active and possibly ward off Alzheimers disease. Problem-solving skills are incorporated and, especially with the more difficult puzzles, logical and spatial thinking is required. This mental focus naturally decreases anxiety. Puzzling is to the brain what a gym workout is to the body: exertion that makes you feel good!

Benefits of Jigsaw Puzzles for Seniors with Alzheimer’s

Source: Clarity Pointe

1. Slower decline of cognitive functioning
2. Powerful brain workout
3. Increased visual perception and memory
4. Improved interactions with others
5. Therapeutic meditation
6. Better physical health
7. Feel-good chemicals
8. Purposeful activities

If you’re ever cleaning out and getting rid of jigsaw puzzles, we’d be glad to take them off your hands. Residents enjoy all levels of difficulty! And if you love puzzling yourself, plan a visit with us – we’d love to have you!

We had Garden Club yesterday and now we’ve got the itch for Spring! Rain and warmer temps are making us feel like it might not be that far off. Of course, Michigan is always good for a surprise or two, though!

What’s a Valentines party without conversation hearts and games and treats and music and a little bit of dancing! We even crowned a King and Queen from resident and staff votes! Lots of fun for all of us.

Playing this Week at The Village: January 25-26

10 Interesting Facts About Gone With The Wind, 1939

1. Scarlett was cast after filming began.
2. Leigh almost lost the part after her first test reading.
3. The first director was fired. In all, the film had three directors.
4. Leslie Howard absolutely despised playing Ashley.
5. Gable begged not to be shown crying on camera.
6. There weren’t enough extras in the entire Screen Actors Guild to shoot the Confederate Wounded scene.
7. Atlanta went crazy for the film’s premiere and then Georgia governor declared it a state holiday
8. Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to win an Oscar, but was banned from the premiere.
9. Author Margaret Mitchell, heading to watch a movie with her husband, was fatally struck by a car 10 years after the film’s release.
10. It took 16 different writers to make the screenplay a viable length.

Source