Connected Companions

Wondering what to do with your person with dementia at the holidays or other family event? In this episode we talk about what dementia activities actually are, how to choose activities for your person with dementia, how to make activities more accessible, and then we have a few of our favorite activities listed at the end of the episode. 

We actually cover activities for family caregivers, as well as if you are an Activities Director and work in memory care. 

You can contact Katie or Olivia and see their offerings at:

⁠ linktr.ee/creativeconnectionsdementia⁠

⁠linktr.ee/purplehydrangea⁠

Resources and Activities mentioned:

OuiSi: https://shop.ouisi.co/

Table Topics: https://tabletopics.com/

Talk-n-Toss: www.ssww.com/senior-activities/movement-therapy/toss-n-talk-balls/?srsltid=AfmBOoqAw2dep7WEIQ364mnyGJZtTUZxZxPm2-nxJls_64IXTBmP15oC

Three Part Cards and books for Dementia: https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecourseCoaching?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1715315484&from_page=listing

In this short episode, we answer a common holiday question around Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and that is “What do I get my person with dementia as a gift?” The answer might surprise you because it’s not what you will probably see in typical dementia gift guides.

We also talk about the expectations people put onto the caregivers around gifts and the added exhaustion some gifts can add to caregivers.

You can contact Katie or Olivia and see their offerings at:

⁠ linktr.ee/creativeconnectionsdementia⁠

⁠linktr.ee/purplehydrangea⁠

Let’s talk about how to communicate with someone with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, especially around the holidays. Holidays can pose many challenges for communication, so here are some guidelines that we hope can help you and your family.

Mentioned in the episode:

Connected Communication in Dementia: Katie’s Ebook, with quick guides to share with family and friends. 

You can contact Katie or Olivia and see their offerings at:

⁠ linktr.ee/creativeconnectionsdementia⁠

⁠linktr.ee/purplehydrangea⁠

In this first part of our holidays series, we will talk about the first three steps to take when you see issues with your person with dementia. We talk about what to do if you know your person needs more care but they get upset at you for mentioning it. And we talk about what it’s like to be the main caregiver when other people come in and tell you what to do!

You can contact Katie or Olivia and see their offerings at:

⁠⁠ linktr.ee/creativeconnectionsdementia⁠⁠

⁠⁠linktr.ee/purplehydrangea⁠⁠

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. See your doctor for any medical advice, and an elder care lawyer for legal support. Additionally, this is not meant to be personalized advice, we are not your dementia care specialist. If you need help with non-medical care needs, please hire a dementia care specialist. 

Jeffrey was a child care partner, and we made a lot of mistakes. Here we discuss what we did well and the mistakes we made that we hope will help other families. We want to help stop the message that you must force care on a child because “that’s the right thing to do” and how much the system affects if care partnering is safe or not, not so much the illness of dementia. We need to start talking about dysfunctional family systems in dementia care.

This is the short version of this episode. For the long version where we go into much more detail and talk about setting boundaries and what it was like for Jeffrey living at home with a person with dementia, then join our Patreon: patreon.com/ConnectedCompanions

Jeffrey Norris is a Montessori dementia care specialist, former child caregiver, and son of Rev. Katie Norris. He helps make educational videos about Montessori dementia care.

You can contact Katie or Olivia and see their offerings at:

⁠ linktr.ee/creativeconnectionsdementia⁠

⁠linktr.ee/purplehydrangea⁠

Season 1 Ep 9: October Bonus

The Alzheimer's Dementia Aggression Myth: Bonus Episode

Aggression in dementia is not inevitable. In fact, it's not even different than behaviors all of us have. Behaviors in dementia are not bad or a problem, they tell us something, and there are many ways we can fix or avoid aggression and other behaviors in dementia.

Join us to learn about why behaviors like aggression may happen in dementia, how we have handled it with clients, and how the Montessori dementia care process works to decrease aggression and other behaviors.

You can contact Katie or Olivia and see their offerings at:

⁠ linktr.ee/creativeconnectionsdementia⁠

⁠linktr.ee/purplehydrangea⁠

On this solo episode of Connected Companions, Olivia shares her professional journey in dementia, how Marie and Connie formed her love of Montessori dementia care, and the importance of a person's past roles.

We love comments and messages... What else do you want to learn about Olivia & Katie? Email us at [email protected] to stay connected!

Are visits with your person with dementia not going well? Do they say nothing to you? Are you not sure how to interact? Wondering what to do with them when you are there?

This episode will cover how to have successful memory care visits.

This is the short version of this episode, and the second half of the episode for our Patreon Level 1 and 2 members will cover how to take someone out of memory care for visits, and get them to come back. If you would like to join us over on Patreon, check it out here: patreon.com/ConnectedCompanions

Labeling and signage can increase independence in dementia, as well as decrease confusion, wandering, and refusals. In this episode we talk about the nuances of signage and how to actually use it to help your person with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.

Resources:

Katie’s Signage ebook and printable signs: https://recoursecoaching.etsy.com/listing/1244934685

Colored cabinet knob covers: https://knobez.com/

IKEA Begripa door handles in multiple colors: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/begripa-handle-orange-half-round-90540075/#content

Pill packs, or bubble packs that you can get from your pharmacist

Bump Dots low vision aids

Don't use the Google to find your answers to helping a person with dementia shower! We talk about some of the most common tips you will find online and why they miss the mark on supporting showering in Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

Learn how we support showering from a trauma-informed, Montessori based care perspective.

This is the short version of our episode. If you would like the full-length version, join our Patreon!