3/26/13

I visited Aegis for 1 hour and 15 minutes today.

It was a very quiet day for the residents in Assisted Living. I spent some time having a good conversation with the residents. We mainly talked about school and the new tunnel that opened up by the devil's slide in Pacifica. The residents were keeping to themselves today, so I decided to leave them be and I visited Life's Neighborhood, the other side of Aegis.

Life's neighborhood was surprisingly very active today. Usually, they are the residents who are quiet and keep to themselves. Today, I was observing them while they played a memory game involving months and numbers. I'm happy to say that they still know what year they are living in. One thing that caught my attention was when Liol, one of the residents, was asked the date of Christmas and he replied with, "October 25th."  I also saw the same woman from my last visit who had been constantly crying for her mother. It shocks me that I find her in the same condition, continuously crying and rambling. Moments like that really sadden me. It reminds me of how debilitating Alzheimer's disease is. Just like the family members of these residents, I'm wishing for a cure for this disease. Hopefully by tomorrow when I visit, the residents will be having a better day.

3/5/13 (pt 2)

After spending some time with the first resident, I decided to spend time with a woman named Delia. She was very confused by her surroundings. I was able to sit her down and I asked her to color with me. We were coloring in some leaf clovers for St. Patrick's Day. She kept saying, "I don' understand what to do." I would then show her how to color and she would copy me. After a few minutes, she would tell me that she didn't know what to do again. This is a perfect example of short-term loss. When I asked her to write a name, she was having difficulty remembering how to write. I would constantly have to show her how to write the letters.

We took a break and decided to play catch. The residents love catch. It was amazing how one minute, Delia claimed that she didn't know how to play, and then the next minute, she was throwing and catching the ball. Following our game of catch, we served tea, coffee, and sandwiches for their daily afternoon snack. I was a little sad when Delia asked me how to get home while I was serving her some snacks. (When residents ask questions like that, we are advised to stay away from the subject.) I replied by telling her to relax and eat.

It was a busy afternoon for the LN residents and a very insightful one for me. It's interesting being exposed to all the different stages/episodes of Alzheimer's, but as always, it is sad. I will try to upload the picture that Delia and I colored.

3/5/13

I visited Aegis for 2 hours today. I will break up my hours by blog.

I spent my time in Life's Neighborhood today instead of Assisted Living. For those who don't remember, Life's Neighborhood is for the more challenged residents with deeper stages of Alzheimer's. The best way to describe these residents is that they are in an elementary school behavior level. They have their good and bad days and need assistance the most.

I was very enticed by one resident. I decided to stick with her for the first hour. She caught my attention because of her behavior. Once I walked in, I spotted a woman sitting in a wheelchair crying. The staff said that she has been doing this every single day for the past two months. She was constantly crying for her mommy, literally. Rambling on and on, she'd either ask for her mother or change the subject. At times, I'd be able to catch a conversation with her for a few seconds and then I'd lose her again to the crying. At one point I heard her say that she was getting married, and then a few seconds later, she said she was tired, very tired. I can't express how heartbreaking it is to see her cry for no reason. However, that is one of the many side effects of the disease. 

Hang Man

Instead of hosting an activity, I observed my mentor and the techniques he used to host a 2 hour game of Hangman. Yes, it was very tedious at times, but altogether fun. My mentor had the residents choose topics and it was pretty hilarious watching the residents get active and participate. Whenever a new word was put on the board, Joe would ask for vowels and the residents would be shouting, "I...E...A...Y!" (Funny how they considered "Y" as a vowel.) The residents guessed words from numerous topics ranging from government, all the way to topics like traveling. At times they would give up, but in the end they always guessed the word.

I'll be seeing my mentor again next week and we discussed that I will host activities then.

Tea Time

Today, I visited Aegis for 2 hours. I had a good time playing trivia, conversating, and serving tea and cookies.

My mentor was sidetracked and busy with residents and their doctor's appointments, so I worked with another activities director, Christina. I observed her communication styles and compared it to Joe, my mentor. Both of them incorporate compare and contrast examples into the activities to get residents thinking. After some time, I was able to lead the afternoon activity. I played trivia with the ladies. I was actually very shocked at how much they could remember. The trivia ranged from all sorts of subjects. We got into a very interesting conversation once we were on the topic of Government. Some of the ladies could remember off the top of their heads who they first voted for during their first presidential election. Again, it is amazing how far back their mind can take them even with the disease.

After trivia, I served tea and cookies to residents in the Assisted Living side. The ladies who I had been playing trivia with were so sweet and patient. They even complimented me on my serving skills.  (I had to throw it out there that I currently work at In N Out Burger haha). Surprisingly enough, they knew what restaurant I was talking about. After helping everyone, I noticed that one of the women I had been playing trivia with was getting a little restless. She was complaining about not being catered to and she opened her tea bag and spilled all the herbs all over herself. The consierge then informed me that she was a new resident who had just moved in yesterday. She really isn't aware of what she's doing. It's very sad, but the only thing one can do is help them out.

It was an interesting visit today. I enjoyed it a lot and I think it had to do with the fact that I hosted the activity this time. Watching the residents is one thing, but actually communicating and having an open coversation with them is another. Hopefully I will be seeing them more often next week.

Second Visit at Aegis

Yesterday I visited Aegis and met with my mentor for 2 hours.

My mentor hosted the activity for the day which was on the evolution of penguins. I know it sounds silly, but it is a great way to stimulate the residents memories. As Joe talked about the penguins, he would constantly compare penguins to all sorts of things. One thing he connected the penguins to was humans and the fat in our body. It was interesting to see the residents get very into the topic. One woman even asked what types of predators penguins have to watch out for. It's amazing what things the residents can actually remember. I also noticed that the residents were very good at making jokes. Despite deteriorating memory, it was nice to see them engaged in the activity. Seeing them laugh and having a good time was really heart warming.

For the last hour I helped serve dinner in Assited Living. One highlight of serving dinner was when a resident was singing, "America the Beautiful," very loudly as he waited for his food. Their tendency to act like small children can really make my day sometimes! All in all, it was a good day with the residents. No outbreaks or weird phases yesterday. Can't wait to visit again.

First Day at Aegis

Yesterday was my first day meeting with my mentor at Aegis Living. For those of you who don't know, Aegis is an assisted living facility for elderly people with Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia. As of right now, the facility is almost booked. It is divided into two sections: Assisted Living and Life's Neighborhood. Residents are placed in each section based on the severity of the disease. 

For the first hour, my mentor and I discussed about the disease itself. I learned a lot about Alzheimer's and the following information caught my attention: it is genetic, it is a suffocation and loss of brain cells, it is fatal because the brain shuts down, and patients are a danger to themselves. After our discussion, my mentor and I led the afternoon activity for the day for the residents on the Assisted Living side. The activity was on the history of fashion hats. It may sound boring, but it is really important for residents to have these types of activities in order to stimulate brain cells that they still have. My mentor, Joe, repeatedly connected the different styles of hats back to certain time periods and eras for the residents. He explained to me later that it is one of his strategies to really get the residents thinking. One thing that had caught my attention was that before the activity, I had introduced myself to a resident named Vera. About 10 minutes later, Joe introduced me to her again and she greeted me as if she had never seen me before. 

After the afternoon activity, I went to Life's Neighborhood to serve dinner. The residents on this side are less active than those in Assisted Living. After serving the residents their food, one resident got up and started walking for the door. She said, "Where's my credit card? I have to pay for the food." We told her that the food had been paid for and she quietly walked back to her meal. It was definitely sad for me to see that. Almost every worker at Aegis said, "Its the disease that causes them to act like that."

I would say my first day went well. I'm looking forward to my next visit.