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Treatment and Support for Families Affected by Alzheimer's and other Memory Disorders |
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January-February 2012 |
Vol 3, Issue 1 |
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forget-me-nots
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Caregiver
Network
News
A newsletter for caregivers of loved ones with memory loss
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A NEW YEAR, A NEW GROUP!
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The MemoryCare Club, a monthly support group for persons who are in the early stages of memory loss, has been meeting for almost two years. During that period, our numbers have grown and the focus of how we spend our time together has evolved int o a deeper time of sharing and support for all those who attend.
The participants have made it clear that the encouragement and enjoyment they have found in this group has made a significant difference in their lives.
They have also made it clear that once a month isn't enough.
So we are pleased to announce that,
beginning on February 2, 2012,
we will expand this program to include
TWO meetings a month!
Our newest support group for persons with early-stage memory loss
will meet on the FIRST THURSDAY of each month
beginning on Thursday, February 2,
at Biltmore Methodist Church
(Hendersonville Rd just off I-40 Exit 50, on the second floor)
from 1:00-3:00 p.m
We are grateful to a private donor from our support groups,
and to the Land of Sky Regional Council
for providing the funding for both groups through June 2012,
and to MemoryCare for its encouragement and endorsement in helping us launch the first group in April 2010.
Having a second group will allow us to serve those who have been on a waiting list, but our space is limited and the need is growing. We are hopeful that additional funding resources can be found to allow this unique and valuable program to keep going beyond June, and we look forward to continuing to serve as its facilitators.
Jane Sherman and Mel Kelley
Please see Caregiver Calendar below for scheduling information for both groups.
As with our existing Third Tuesday group, an initial screening is required,
and a waiting list is already being formed.
For more information, please contact
Jane Sherman, 845.641.4680, or janeshermanllc@mac.com. |
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My Hero
by Tom & Karen Brenner
(as published in the Alzheimer's Reading Room)
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I wish there was someone I could talk to about this. Everyone here is very nice to us, they take good care of Bill, but they don't really know him; I mean they don't know the real man inside...
Want to read the whole article? Click here.
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It's OK - You're Only Human
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We've all done it.
We've all gotten impatient with the person we're caring for.
Try as we might, we've all at one time or another lost our resolve to NEVER, EVER speak sharply to them, and yet it happens. It's the end of a long day, we're weary of answering the same questions over and over, and the harsh words come out before we can stop them. We feel awful. After all, they can't help being the way they are, can they? It's the disease that we're mad at, not the person. However, knowing that doesn't alleviate the guilt we feel at having let our true feelings out. Anyone who snaps at a loved one who has memory loss is probably not a very nice person, probably not somebody who has any self-control or compassion. Right?
Wrong.
Getting mad at a memory-impaired person reveals something very interesting about you: you're human.
Caregivers are constantly struggling to keep their feelings bottled up inside, to never admit that they get angry or resentful or fed up with their loved one. But blowing your cool occasionally is actually a perfectly normal response to extreme stress. And let's face it, caring for a person with memory loss definitely has its moments of extreme stress.
Oscar Wilde says: "The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection."
So don't beat yourself up over not being perfect. Try instead to find ways to reduce your stress - schedule a few hours' respite, or vent to a friend, or take refuge in a movie for a couple of hours - whatever it takes to recharge your battery. Even closing your eyes and taking three deep breaths helps in a pinch. But don't add a needless layer of guilt on top of your remorse. If you're like most of us, you've lost your cool before, and chances are pretty good that you'll do it again.
You're okay, you're just human.
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Support Group Wisdom
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Mary Scheiderich's mother, Frances Sinclair, 92, has been an artist all her life. Now in moderate-stage Alzheimer's, however, she finds it difficult to continue doing her lifelong hobby. For the last few years, Mary has tried getting her mother to start painting again, but she would always put her off. Mary finally realized what the problem was: Frances simply didn't know how to go about it. Mary says, "I learned in my support group that people with dementia lose their initiative, so I figured out that Mom just needed help getting started. I got all her drawing supplies together, set up the easel, and made sure everything was ready. She asked me, 'What do you want me to draw?' so I suggested the hanging basket by the house, and away she went. She ended up drawing the whole side of the house!"
Frances has been doing about 3 drawings a week in the past eight months, and gave several to family members as Christmas presents. She still needs for Mary to tell her what to draw, but then she's completely focused on it until it's finished. "It's been so good for Mom to do this again," Mary says. "It's made a huge difference in her mood. Now she feels that she's accomplishing something. All she needed was a little help getting started!"
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CAREGIVER CALENDAR
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 MEMORYCAREGIVERS NETWORK
SUPPORT GROUPS
free & open to the public
PARK RIDGE GROUP First Tuesdays, 1:00-3:00 p.m. NEW TIME!! Fletcher 7th Day Adventist Church Howard Gap Road and Naples Road, Fletcher, N.C. (just past Park Ridge Hospital) (This group replaces the former First Tuesday Group which met at Calvary Episcopal in Fletcher) NEW HOPE GROUP Third Tuesdays, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
New Hope Presbyterian Church
3070 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville, N.C. 28803 (across from Givens Estates) WEAVERVILLE GROUP Fourth Tuesdays, 1:00-3:00 p.m. Weaverville First Baptist Church 63 N. Main, Weaverville, NC 28787 (North Buncombe County) Caregiver Support Groups are funded by a grant from Park Ridge Health
"MEMORYCARE CLUB" Our Support Groups for persons with early-stage memory loss
The THIRD TUESDAY GROUP
Meets concurrently with the New Hope Caregiver Group above
NEW!
The FIRST THURSDAY GROUP
1:00-3:00 p.m.
Biltmore Methodist Church
376 Hendersonville Road Asheville, 28803
(Exit 50 off I-40)
NOTE: Initial screening required for both early-stage groups.
For more information contact:
Mary Donnelly Pat Hilgendorf
828.230.4143 828.645.9189
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NOTABLE QUOTABLES
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"Never lose sight of the fact that old age needs
so little, but needs that little so much."
~Margaret Willour
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MemoryCare relies on charitable donations for operations. Please consider MemoryCare in your estate planning.
To visit our website, click on
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