Creating Connections with People with Dementia
"In American life, we think we are most free when we don't need anybody. Exactly what Alzheimer's represents is absolute dependency ...That's what we all need to learn ...how deeply we need one another." - Stanley Hauerwas, Professor of Theological Ethics
One of my favorite web sites is www.memorybridge.org. It is from the Foundation for Alzheimer's and Cultural Memory. Their mission is to remind us that human beings needs connections with other people. The web site offers stories, suggestions, tools and resources to "build a bridge" between people of all ages and a person with Alzheimer's disease.
"You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes."
- A. A. Milne, Author (Winnie the Pooh)
"Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World."
- Christopher Columbus, Explorer
"If someone listens, or stretches out a hand, or whispers a kind word of encouragement, or attempts to understand a lonely person, extraordinary things begin to happen."
- Loretta Girzartis, Author
"They invented hugs to let people know you love them without saying anything."
- Bil Keane, Cartoonist
"Nothing is more revealing than movement."
- Martha Graham, Dancer
"The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated."
- William James, Philosopher
"I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve."
- Albert Schweitzer, Missionary
"All real living is meeting."
- Martin Buber, Philosopher
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essayist
"In American life, we think we are most free when we don't need anybody. Exactly what Alzheimer's represents is absolute dependency ...That's what we all need to learn ...how deeply we need one another."
- Stanley Hauerwas, Professor of Theological Ethics
"You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes."
- A. A. Milne, Author (Winnie the Pooh)
"Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World."
- Christopher Columbus, Explorer
"If someone listens, or stretches out a hand, or whispers a kind word of encouragement, or attempts to understand a lonely person, extraordinary things begin to happen."
- Loretta Girzartis, Author
"There is a Bridge" is used in many training programs with staff and students. It features families who are experiencing the journey of Alzheimer's disease. These families are very transparent about how it feels to watch their loved one become forgetful. The video also interviews experts such as Naomi Feil, M.S., A.C.S.W. who is also an Advisor for the Foundation. She is the Executive Director of the Validation Training Institute and the developer of the Validation technique, which is a method for communicating with severely disoriented older adults.
This video is an excellent inexpensive tool to use when teaching staff about Alzheimer's disease. It can be shown in its entirety or broken into clips and discussions. his video offers approaches that can be used to connect with people with Alzheimer's disease as well as the lived experience perspective. I believe that this video helps us enhance our empathic approach towards caring for all people affected by Alzheimer's disease.