When Reimagining Dementia: A Creative Coalition for Justice launched “Taking It to the Streets,” a global campaign that took place during the week of Sept. 18 to 24, 2023, one of the first people to...
Lessons on living and dying, courtesy of the Carters
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jun 06, 2023
In the twilight of their lives, we are reminded that the Carters are a normal couple facing the very basic challenges typical of advanced age. Both are grappling with how to live out their days and where...
Dementia and LEGO Serious Play for improved engagement
By
Loretta Veney
Sep 12, 2022
I’ve loved LEGO bricks since receiving my first box from my mom when I was just five years old. Many of you have likely played with the bricks with your own kids or grandkids at least once in your lives....
End-of-life decisions may cause confusion, anger
By
Elizabeth Newman
Apr 03, 2014
When I lived in Baltimore, a stray, mangy cat adopted us. I am not trying to equate my cat with someone’s parent, but I was reminded of Minou’s last days when reading the dissertation of Mariette...
Easing the family’s transition from home to care community
By
Haymarket Media
Dec 05, 2016
Even though I’d worked as an activities director and administrator in long-term care, placing my mother in assisted living and then in memory care was initially a wrenching and emotional experience.
Get smart about brain health
By
Catherine O’Brien, Ph.D
Mar 02, 2015
Activity directors and lifestyle coordinators across the country are trying to find the best solutions for residents who request “brain games” out of a desire to improve their memory and sharpen...
A new perspective on age-old, old-age issues
By
Kimberly Marselas
Feb 10, 2021
For nearly a decade, my freelance writing career included plenty of articles about chronic wounds, payment reform and pretty much anything else skilled-nursing related. Surely, I thought, I’d mastered...
Words Matter: Changing the way we talk about people living with dementia
By
Mimi DeVinney
Oct 19, 2020
Language is important. Whether we realize it or not, the way we speak about people reflects our beliefs about them and ultimately affects how we treat them. Whether we are aiming for a community-wide...
What ‘do everything’ can mean
By
Angelo E. Volandes, M.D.
Feb 04, 2015
The day I met Mrs. Bartlett at my hospital, she was an 89-year-old long-stay nursing home resident with moderate-to-severe dementia who was being transferred to my hospitalist service for shortness of...