Lady Links

The Lady-Links have plenty of love to share with one another and with their dear friends, those ladies in our community with various types of cognitive decline.  This is the 10th year we have had a Valentine Party where we made valentines to give to our dear friends as well as to all the residents in our continuing care community.  It is a celebration of friendship as we lovingly create such special valentines that we know will bring joy into the lives of those who receive them.

We have a craft coordinator who gets everything organized for us with lots of designs from which to choose.

In addition to the fun of creating the valentines, we enjoyed delicious refreshments as well.

The result was 120 valentines created with plenty of love and laughter.

The Lady-Links care about our friends and neighbors, and Valentine’s Day is one of our favorite days to express that in a tangible way.

It’s always a joy to be together as a group to make Christmas and holiday ornaments to give to those who live in our community’s continuing care residence and to our dear friends, those ladies who are in various stages of cognitive decline.  The Lady-Links are hosted every year by the husband of our very first dear friend who welcomes us with a Christmas cake, holiday punch and an array of ornaments to make.  In addition, we visit our dear friends to make ornaments with them that they can have or share.

It was a wonderful Christmas season of joy, and of sharing love and laughter.  A very special Lady-Links Christmas to remember.

The Lady-Links have many reasons to be thankful, and it shows each time we are together as a group or with our dear friends.  The connections, the friendships, the love and laughter…all make for special times and memories.  Recently we made Thanksgiving cards to send to our dear friends, and that event in itself was a reason to be thankful.  We enjoyed our time together plus we enjoyed knowing how much our dear friends, those ladies in our community in various stages of cognitive decline, would have when they opened our creations.

Each card was unique because we had so many ways to embellish our designs.

Handwritten notes expressed our thankfulness to our dear friends for their friendship and let them know how much the Lady-Links care.

The Lady-Links had a busy time in October and November making crafts to deliver to the residents of our Continuing Care Community.  We made over 100 of these Autumn Blessings crafts while enjoying a time of fellowship and fun.

We visited with our dear friends, those ladies in our community with various types of cognitive decline, to include them in the fun of making the  crafts. 

The Lady-Links think that every season is a reason to celebrate our many blessings with the friendships and connections we have with our dear friends.

 

The Lady-Links are walking to win the battle against Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias.  Recently our retirement community held a Walk to End Alzheimer’s event and the Lady-Links eagerly participated.

With more than six million Americans living with Alzheimer’s, we feel the need to step up the efforts to find a cure.  The majority of the dear friends with cognitive decline that we visit weekly have Alzheimer’s Disease.  Each year, we walk in honor of our dear friends and are committed to bring love and laughter into their lives until a cure is found.

One day, we hope our efforts to raise awareness for more research into this progressive neurological disease will help end it completely.

What’s special to you?  Chances are, it’s special to someone else too.  That is what Show and Tell is all about.  Finding things that connect us and provide a link to shared memories.

We all use bags to carry items from groceries to books… and everything in between.  “What’s in your bag?” is a take-off of a popular commercial about the importance of things we carry with us. We usually think of what’s in the bag when we plan for a Show and Tell visit with our dear friends, those ladies in our community with various types of cognitive decline.  However,  when one Lady-Link brought a bag for Show and Tell, not only did it spark conversation about things we “tote around” but the most conversation occurred about what was on the bag rather than what was in it.  It was a special photograph of  some of the women pilots from World War II.  This all-female flight organization, known as WASP (Women Air Force Service Pilots), was responsible for ferrying aircraft to free up male pilots for combat missions.

The WASP training took place at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas which is where our Lady-Link lived when she was a child.  What bags do you have that tell a story simply from their design rather than their contents?

Bags for your favorite team or player?  Bags with interesting patterns?

Bags from special places you’ve visited?

Bags that are unique in color or texture?

Connections are an important part of socialization, and even a bag can tie us together!

Why not reach out to your friend or loved one in cognitive decline to explore bags… what’s inside and what’s outside?  Perhaps you’ll be surprised at the connections you’ll find!

Childhood dolls….what a great Show and Tell item to inspire conversation!

These dolls came with a book that told about the country they represented.

The book was read to one of our Lady-Links when she was a child by her mother.  She explained that her mother wanted to give her a broader view of the world other than her little town in west Texas where she was living at the time.

Our visit was filled with memories shared about dolls and mothers who inspired us to learn about other cultures and customs.   That led to conversations about travels and adventures that were both meaningful and enjoyable.

Our dear friends enjoy our Show and Tell visits because they help them recall similar experiences.  It’s a fun way to find connections that prompt memories that we can share.  That’s what the Lady-Links love to do….find connections (“links”) and then add plenty of love and laughter!

The Lady-Links love to keep connected to their dear friends, those ladies in our community with some type of cognitive decline, and making cards to send them is always fun.  It’s fun for us to make them and fun for our dear friends to receive them.

Recently we made over 80 cards, each with a cheerful message to send to our dear friends.

With a little prep work to either buy or make stickers and gather supplies, we spent a morning creating cheerful cards that we knew would make our dear friends smile.

Each card was unique….no two were alike, but all had a “Thinking of You” message that was sure to make the recipient feel valued and appreciated.

Connecting with friends or loved ones in cognitive decline is important.  It keeps them engaged with life and helps them overcome periods of loneliness, anxiety and depression.  We have been told that when our dear friends receive our cards, they continue to hold them and enjoy them for days.

A card gives our dear friends something tangible.  It’s a connection through a sense of touch, and a great way to show that we care.

 

We all love books.  Many of us started first grade with the Dick and Jane series and quickly progressed from there.  After learning to read, the opportunity to go to the school library was a treat….we could each select a book that was of a specific interest to us, connecting us to its pages with fascination.  All books are meaningful in some ways, but finding a book that connects specifically to our lives is a bonus.  At several recent Lady-Links visits, we shared how certain books have been a bonus to us because they brought an extra measure of meaning and connection with them.

From the Oklahoma Dust Bowl to the Dallas Cotton Bowl is an intriguing story of one of our Lady-Links.  Her memoirs are published in several volumes, and we were captivated by her descriptions of her childhood and teen years.  We could relate and share our own similar memories, making for a very engaging visit.

Another Lady-Link shared children’s books authored by her daughter.  As we read through one of the books, we each added our own favorite recollection of the Bible story on which the book was based.

Two books from a collection owned by one of our Lady-Links provided a special connection for us.  A McGuffey’s Eclectic Reader, Second Level, first published in 1836, incorporated moral instruction and etiquette with reading and language skills.  We enjoyed reading passages from this reading primer used to educate children over 100 years ago and comparing them to what we remember from our early years of learning to read phrases like,  “See Dick.  See Jane.  See Spot run.”  What fun memories we shared from our early reading adventures with the Dick and Jane series.

 

An antique book of poems printed in the 1920s  contained some familiar as well as some unfamiliar poetry.  We enjoyed hearing a poem on the merits of being strong regardless of circumstances.  It reminded us to always look for the best in any situation.

Connecting to our dear friends through books is clearly a bonus to them and to us as well.  It helps us relate to one another and connect some of our shared life experiences.  It encourages conversation and inspires memories.  Although our dear friends don’t always retain comprehension of what they read, they can connect “in the moment” with the concept that is being expressed.  Connecting emotionally with positive responses is a bonus to to anyone’s life,  and books are a great way to stimulate that type of feeling.  Books with a connection…a bonus for sure.

The Lady-Links know how to celebrate with lots of love and laughter, and preparing for July 4th was no exception.  We had a “blast” as we prepared over 100 patriotic crafts to send to the continuing care residents in our retirement community.

Our Crafts Coordinator organized the event with lots of craft choices that represented a patriotic theme.

The Lady-Links have made crafts such as these for the last ten years and always have fun doing them.

It was a special time of sharing stories about July 4th celebrations from our past….fireworks displays, parades, and barbeques….and of thinking how the dear friends who receive these patriotic crafts will be prompted to recall a memory or two from their pasts as well.

Celebrating with Crafts

Happy Fourth of July from the Lady-Links

We hope you had a “blast” as you celebrated Independence Day.  We certainly did!