Duke Dementia Family Support Program’s
Upcoming Support Group Dates
We’re still here for you! Our team is working remotely to offer education, consultation and support. So don’t hesitate to contact us by email or phone.
All of our support groups, with the exception of Memory Makers, are meeting using Zoom, where participants can connect by video or telephone on a smart phone, tablet, laptop or PC. We will email support group participants with details about meetings, including directions for using Zoom and increased frequency of monthly meetings. If you have not previously participated in a support group, but are interested in joining now, please contact the appropriate staff member listed below.
Duke Dementia Morning Caregivers: Tuesday, Aug 18 & Sept 8 at 10:30 a.m., contact Bobbi for info, 919-660-7508
Younger-Onset: Tuesday, Aug 18 & Sept 1 at 7 p.m., contact Janeli if joining for the first time, 919-660-7565
Daughters: Wednesday, Aug 26 & Sept 9 at 12 p.m., contact Bobbi for info, 919-660-7509
Duke Dementia Evening Caregivers: Thursday, Aug 27 & Sept 17 at 6:30 p.m., contact Natalie for info, 919-660-7542
PLWD Group: Monday, Aug 24 & Sept 14 at 11:00 a.m. contact Janeli or Natalie for info, 919-660-7542
While it’s preferred to meet face-to-face, we are grateful that technology allows us to continue to connect with each other.
Stay Well,
Bobbi, Lisa, Janeli & Natalie
Keep Reading (Below Activities) for Information on Living with Dementia During COVID-19
Staying Engaged While Social Distancing
In an effort to make your day a little brighter, we’ve started collecting activity ideas to do at home and are posting them on our website and Facebook page. We’re aiming for activities that will stimulate discussion, encourage reminiscing, get you moving, or simply bring joy. From links to concerts, museum tours or live dance classes; to directions for craft projects, instructions for memory boxes or conversation prompts, we hope to add some fun to your day.
Check back regularly for new ideas. Enjoy!
Bobbi, Lisa, Janeli and Natalie
Tai Chi to Improve Balance and Prevent Falls
If you’ve never tried Tai Chi, start with this short video. The instructor will guide you through gentle and relaxing movements with a beautiful body of water in the background. Breathe in, slow down….
Virtual Movement for the Mind
Check out these exercise videos from Alzheimer’s Support, a dementia organization in England. The videos range from very gentle movement to more active exercises.
Driving and Dementia
Wednesday, August 19th from 1-2PM
Presenter: Melissa Wertz, OTD, OTR/L
August’s Caregiver Connections discusses issues that are important to dementia family caregivers around dementia and driving. Topics to be covered during this presentation include:
• Clinical driving evaluations • Transportation options • How dementia impacts driving safety • Having the conversation • Warning signs of unsafe driving
Want to share the event flyer? Click here.
Click on this link to access the Zoom presentation the day of the event OR call in by dialing 1-929-205-6099 Meeting ID: 851 9096 6454 Password: 3513
Live Views from the Georgia Aquarium
Sea otters, penguins, jellyfish and more! Visit your favorite marine creatures through webcams at one of the world’s largest aquatic exhibits.
Beat the Heat and Walk at Home!
The Walk at Home series offers workouts that make exercising in your own home fun and easy. Choose videos ranging from 10-45 minutes. Recommended by Stacie, whose mother enjoys the movement and stimulation.
“Webinar” Legal Issues for Family Caregivers During a Pandemic
Presented by Jonathan Williams, JD, Clarity Law
July’s Caregiver Connections discusses issues that are important for dementia family caregivers at any time. During the pandemic legal documents become more essential as caregivers are asking themselves, “What will happen to my loved one if I get sick?” This webinar will include an overview of health care planning, planning for incapacity, wills, and trusts and powers of attorney.
Go to Caregiver Connections for the video presentation and PowerPoint slides.
Need a Change of Scenery?13 Virtual Train Rides From Around the World
Enjoy beautiful landscapes from Colorado’s Pikes Peak to a Japanese countryside as you travel virtually with these relaxing videos. Hop aboard!
Recliner Radio
Radio Recliner is a new online radio station run by residents stuck in their rooms at senior living communities across the country. New shows at noon every day. Music includes favorites from Elivs and Johnny Cash to the Stones and Pink Floyd. Call 855-863-0050 to dedicate a song to someone you’re missing, whether it’s a resident, a family member, a friend, or a staff member! You can also sign up to be a Resident DJ.
Come Sing with Us!
Join us and 4 talented high school students as they perform some songs from Broadway musicals via our program’s Facebook Live page. This is our second music program and we are excited to showcase these students and their vocal talents so spread the word and plan to join us tomorrow!
Click here to go to our Facebook Live page and watch the event. If you’ve clicked on the link and don’t see the live video, reload the browser, the show will begin promptly at 4PM.
Music in Your Gardens
Music in Your Gardens, a free eight-week online concert series showcasing artists who call Durham and the surrounding area home. The series shifts Duke Performances’ longtime outdoor summer series to an online format. Starting this week, each Wednesday, July 1 – August 19, free of charge.
Seated Tai Chi for Seniors: 3 Simple Routines Improve Flexibility and Well-Being
Tai chi is a gentle exercise that improves balance and reduces fall risk. Check out tai chi with these three short videos for beginners.
“Webinar” Making the Difficult Decisions in Dementia Care Presented by Beth Spencer, MA, LMSW
This presentation addresses the myriad of challenging decisions that occur across the trajectory of the disease. Topics to be covered include driving, managing money, paying bills, handling medications, safety alone and moving.
Beth Spencer, a geriatric social worker with masters’ degrees in social work, educational gerontology and English, has worked in the field of aging for 50 years, specializing in caregiving and dementia care.
Go to Caregiver Connections for the video presentations, PowerPoint slides and handouts.
Creative Care Gatherings with TimeSlips
You are invited to attend a 12 week, weekly virtual creative engagement gathering for people living with dementia, care partners, elders, community volunteers, advocates and all interested parties.
What: a calming and joyful 20-minute creative experience built around a poetic question with no wrong answer
When: Thursday, April 9 to June 25, 2020 at 10:30am
How: Follow this link https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpcuiorDIiHdGo0leTTLOl2lWD5JK8eDpB on your computer to register or call in by telephone to 1-312-626-6799 and use Webinar ID: 854 5102 9875#
Clap Your Hands, Tap Your Feet, or Sing Along!
Enjoy 30 minutes of jazz, blues and pop classics with Nashville musician Richard Griffin. Sing along to favorites such as, “King of the Road,” “Bad, Bad Leroy Brain, and “Won’t You Come Home Bill Bailey.”
Caregiver Connections: Educational Webinars
We are proud to offer a new virtual program to address some of the challenges dementia family caregivers may face any day, but which may be amplified by staying at home during the pandemic. We are partnering with experts in the fields of caregiving and dementia from clinical social workers, to occupational therapists, renown published authors and more!
Old Time Radio
Listen to radio shows from the ’40s, 50s and ’60s. The archive includes favorites such as, “Gunsmoke,” Father Knows Best,” “Martin & Lewis,” and “Dragnet.” “Brought to you by America’s favorite coffee, Maxwell House — good to the last drop.”
Rissi Palmer Community Event
Did you miss the community event on 5/21? Don’t worry, click here to view the pre-recorded event fearing local artist Rissi Palmer.
The Flower Supermoon in Pictures
In case you missed last week’s supermoon, or even if you saw it, check out these amazing photos of the moon when it was closest to earth. This full moon of May, also called a Flower Moon, was the last supermoon of 2020.
Pilates & Yoga for Parkinson’s (or anyone else) – Movement While Sitting in a Chair
Poe Wellness Solutions and The Parkinson’s Movement Initiative have very generously created Pilates and yoga for Parkinson’s videos. Visit the webpage for the videos here.
Hang Out With Some Elephants
You’re watching the live cam at San Diego Zoo. Be sure to scroll below the video to be introduced to the herd — from Kaia, who was born in 2018 weighing 281 pounds, to Swazi, the dominant female in the herd who weighs a whopping 6,800 pounds.
Durham Medical Orchestra
Duke’s Verena Mösenbichler-Bryant leads health care professionals and students—from their homes across Durham County—in a performance of a new piece by Durham composer Steven Bryant.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Tune into a webcam and be delighted by the antics of the sea otters or mellow out to the hypnotic drifting of the jellies.
Music for Seniors – Sing-along Favorites with Shawn Pody
As he sings some Elvis Presley, a little Johnny Cash and some well-known gospel songs. Music for Seniors connects Nashville-area musicians with older adults through live and interactive music programs designed to engage, entertain and educate.
All Aboard!
Craft Activities
Engage your loved one’s creative side by making simple crafts together. Each activity comes with a video demonstration and suggestions about how to guide loved ones living with early, moderate or late stage dementia.
Go4Life
Go4Life from the National Institute on Aging at NIH, offers workout videos to help you fit exercise and physical activity into your daily life. Great options during the pandemic or anytime!
Some Good News
John Krasinski, starred in The Office as Jim, offers a different twist on the news. He is telling Some Good News on Facebook and his YouTube channel! This is a news channel we can all endorse!
WEBINAR: Engagement in a Time of Quarantine Part I & II
This webinar is part of a newly-developing series from the TimeSlips Creative Storytelling team. Join MacArthur Fellow and TimeSlips Founder/President Anne Basting, PhD., as she shares additional avenues to connect while observing social distancing.
Click on the link to see Part I: https://vimeo.com/401431835
Click on the link to see Part II: https://youtu.be/0AJEV0Tzf1s
Carolina Ballet Performances
The Carolina Ballet is sharing different past performances each week. Enjoy!
Blast Off!
Browse NASA’s Image and Video Library for recent, historic and the most popular images, audio files and videos. The search feature allows you to easily find favorites, such as the flight of Apollo 11 — the first Moon landing in 1969.
Virtual ‘Love Sweet Love’ From Quarantined Berklee College of Music Students
Check out this recent video performance of the Burt Bacharach and Hal David song “What the World Needs Now” by students at Berklee College of Music that has gone viral.
A Kaleidoscope of Orchids
Enjoy this 21-minute virtual tour of the New York Botanical Garden’s Orchid Show. The tour features spectacular colors, soothing music and explanations from the Garden’s senior orchid curator.
Get Out Your Dancing Shoes
Create a Memory Box
A memory or rummage box can help your older adult feel connected to their past career and previous hobbies. Get any kind of box and fill it with things they would have used at work, copies of photos and non-important keepsakes, or objects from hobbies.
If the person used to do handy work, put nuts, bolts, pvc pipe pieces and fittings, a piece of wood (no splinters), fine grit sandpaper, and twine in their box. This can work for any type of job or hobby, just be creative about finding objects that will be safe to handle.
From: https://dailycaring.com/activities-for-people-with-dementia-10-fun-no-fail-ideas/
To learn more about the benefits of memory boxes, along with tips for making them, read this article.
Living With Dementia During COVID-19
What to Consider Before Moving a Parent Into Assisted Living During COVID-19
Key questions to ask in a very concerning time
Parent with Dementia Interrupts Working from Home
Check out one of our favorite columnist’s advice on how to cope with a clingy parent when trying to work from home.
Talking To a Parent with Dementia Who Is In Lock Down Due to Covid-19
In this video dementia expert Teepa Snow uses role play to explain what to tell your parent about why you cannot visit right now. Thanks to care partner Louise K. for bringing this video to our attention.
As COVID-19 Lurks, Families Are Locked Out Of Nursing Homes. Is It Safe Inside?
“Families are beset by fear and anxiety as COVID-19 makes inroads at nursing homes across the country, threatening the lives of vulnerable older adults.” Read what experts suggest families can do in this article, and be sure to check out the decision aid toward the end of the article.
Seniors with COVID-19 Show Unusual Symptoms
Doctors Say Brief helpful explanation of why older adults are at greater risk from COVID-19, and why it’s important to be alert to and seek medical evaluation for common but atypical early symptoms.
COVID-19, Alzheimer’s and Dementia: What You Need to Know
Resources and tips about the coronavirus pandemic for people living with dementia, caregivers, and families from the Alzheimer’s Association
Caregiving and Coronavirus: Tips for Caregivers
An easy-to-read guide on how to plan and prepare for infection.
Balancing Work and Elder Care Through the Coronavirus Crisis
Helpful tips for those who are juggling work and elder care in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.
How to Support Older Relatives During the COVID-19 Outbreak
Cathleen Colón-Emeric, MD, chief of Duke’s Division of Geriatrics offers advice about important conversations and practical strategies for supporting older family members during COVID-19. And check out the side-bar for some suggestions for activities from our team.
