Helpful Devices Yet To Be Created
Some disabilities and obstacles to living are particular to individual circumstances. If you have a problem or you know someone who has a problem and you've tried to find a solution on the commercial market with no success, there may be a way to get a design created and built.
Tetra's services are free to the client. The only costs are materials and the incidental expenses of the volunteer.
Check out Tetra's website here.
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No-Contract Cell Phone Plans
Now there are several ways to have cell phone service without long-term contracts and for low prices. Check out Jitterbug, Consumer Cellular, Tracfone and Hop-On for some options.
Mobile Peace of Mind: A New Phone Concept
Check out the ClarityLife C900 Amplified Mobile Phone that is twice as loud as an ordinary cell phone and offers large buttons for easy dialing. View the Web site here.
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Greetings!
According to the Alzheimer's Association in the "2009 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures" report, one in eight persons ages 65 and older has Alzheimer's disease. In the race to find new ways to stimulate the brain to fend off the effects of the disease, science has increasingly been found waltzing with the arts.
Music memory is preserved better than verbal memory, dancing massages memory function, and art stimulates the brain through positive self expression. With nearly 10 million Americans caring for someone with Alzheimer's at home, every new piece of information to help cope with the disease deserves attention.
As always, we send this newsletter in a spirit of sharing and community. We hope you will find the included news informative and beneficial.
Thank you,
The Team at Freedom Eldercare
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Music, Dance and Art: Winning the Culture War Against Alzheimer's Disease
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Musical Interludes
 If you can find the songs that were popular when the Alzheimer's patient was young, it is possible that music can help the patient relate to others and experience some long lost joy in life. Music seems to trigger strong feelings and cue the body to synchronize with its rhythm, according to recent articles.
The Journal of Music Therapy reports several studies that show activities like moving to music, playing rhythm instruments and singing lead to more group involvement and less wandering and disruptive behavior.
Access an abstract of one of the articles here, and read more about music therapy here.
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Dance to the Music
 Some studies are showing that dancing may reduce the risk of illness and even counteract the ravages of aging. In addition, dancing offers mental, physical, and social benefits. These findings were reported in a study at Queen's University in Belfast.
Ballroom dancing was also found to help prevent dementia, as reported in a study by scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Another study there found that older people who danced had better balance and gait than those who did not dance. So, dance to the music!
Read more here.
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Enjoy Art, Enjoy Life
 Imagine an Alzheimer's patient exposed to art in a non-threatening and open environment. The Museum of Modern Art in New York City (MoMA) has created a program for early- and moderate-stage Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers. Once a month, after hours, groups of patients and caregivers are led to selected artworks for observation and discussions by trained professionals.
Brain stimulation is a known antidote to the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Now, the positive results of exposure to art prove that viewing and discussing art offers an opportunity for positive social engagement, self-expression and brain stimulation for those with Alzheimer's disease.
Because of the success of this program, the museum is offering to help other museums and professional caregivers develop their own programs for people living with dementia and Alzheimer's. The offerings include print and online training guides and nationwide workshops.
For more information, click here.
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