Faith is an important component of  life.  It brings hope and peace as well as a sense of purpose to us.  As Lady-Links, we’ve discovered that making faith-based crafts is a way to encourage our dear friends with Alzheimer’s and other related types of dementia, and to help them feel a sense of God’s presence in their lives.

Our dear friends may be past the point of visiting church with their families or even watching a sermon on TV.  But they love being involved in activities that remind them of their childhood Sunday School class or worship service.  It gives them a sense of being connected spiritually with those who care.

We are blessed to live in a retirement community that has many opportunities to express one’s faith.  The faith-based crafts we make are distributed by our Director of Pastoral Ministries to those who attend vespers or to those who are in need of a pastoral visit.  They bring joy to the lives of those who receive them, and give us joy knowing that what we are making will fill such a need.

When we made the Jesus is the Sweetest Name craft, our dear friend began singing “Jesus Loves Me” without any prompting from any of us.  Of course we all joined in, and it was a precious time knowing that we helped her connect to a very special time in her life.

Faith can be a source of strength and hope. By making these crafts, our dear friends are given a tangible reminder of all that faith can bring.

As words and cognitive abilities fade, symbols of faith can still prompt memories and responses.  Making, holding or touching our faith-based crafts provide a unique way of communicating about spiritual issues that can soothe the soul when more traditional ways like listening to a sermon can’t.

Helping provide such spiritual connections bring joy to both our lives and to the lives of our dear friends.  The memories of faith-based activities can transcend time with just a little help.  Why not explore this issue with your loved one?  It can be a source of comfort for you both.

Thanksgiving is exactly that…giving thanks.  But how do you do that when circumstances aren’t so great?  As Lady-Links, we’ve learned that gratitude is an attitude we can choose.  We’ve found many reasons to choose to be thankful when visiting our dear friends, and we are encouraged to see that our attitude of gratitude sets the tone for the entire visit.

The dear friends we visit each week are in various stages of dementia.  Their lives and the lives of their families and caregivers are forever changed.  Yet, we see something good and positive each time we visit one of these precious ladies.  Why?  Because we believe that what we are doing is beneficial, and we choose to look for something, no matter how small, to recognize as an area for which we can be thankful.

After all, what’s the result of not choosing gratitude?  It’s ingratitude, and that’s the first step down a road of bitterness, sadness and discouragement.  And what good comes from that kind of thinking?  Here’s several reasons the Lady-Links have found for giving thanks:

As we work together on a craft or a project, we help our dear friends feel a sense of belonging.  We’re all a part of something that we’re doing together!  And that’s a reason to give thanks!  Everyone contributes to the finished product.

Our crafts are given away to others, so we help our dear friends feel a sense of altruism.  That’s just a fancy way of saying that it feels good to give something that will bring happiness into the lives of others.  Our dear friends understand that and feel good that they are involved in purposeful activity.

We share stories and memories of Thanksgivings past.  Delicious feasts…with all the trimmings…how we helped our mothers in the kitchen.  This promotes a sense of connection between us, and we find ourselves laughing as we describe our attempts to make pumpkin pie or stuff a turkey. Or even try to remember the Mayflower and the activities we did as children to mark the history of this occasion. Our dear friends are able to share in this type of communication because we are careful to talk about memorable events in the past…not what happened recently.

In other words, we focus on what we can do rather than what we can’t do.  We can still love and laugh, and we can still enjoy friendship.  And that’s the best part of thanksgiving!  Being together!

Thanksgiving can be tough on families of those with Alzheimer’s and related dementia.  They need our encouragement, thoughts and prayers.  If you know such a family, how can you be a blessing in their lives?  Your offer of a visit to their loved one just might be the thing they need most to put them in a thankful mood when circumstances around them seem bleak.  Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be celebrated just one day a year.  Let’s make it a lifestyle event!

Individual preferences, interests, hobbies, and stage of cognitive impairment are all factors in planning for visits with our dear friends. We visit one person at a time, engaging her in specific activities that she enjoys.  As a result, when we find something that is “unique” to that dear friend, we take note of it.

One of our dear friends is a former music teacher who grew up in a household of musically talented siblings and parents.  At our visits with her, we play the resonator bells while she plays the piano.  We play and sing familiar songs, one of which is “Let There Be Peace On Earth.”  Each time we play that song, our dear friend tells the story of when she and her brother would argue as children, their mother would begin playing “Let There Be Peace On Earth” on the piano.  That was a signal for our dear friend and her brother to straighten up! She laughs each time she tells it.  We love hearing that story and think it is wonderful that our visits promote a favorite childhood family memory.

One of our Lady-Links found a hand-stitched framed artwork with the saying “Let There Be Peace On Earth” in our community’s Treasure Chest Sale (sort of like an estate sale with proceeds benefiting charity).  That Lady-Link bought it for our dear friend, with the intent that it would be a gift from all of us.  At our next visit, our dear friend was very touched to receive it, and it was a delightful moment for all of us.

It is a joy to get to know our dear friends and to find meaningful, personal ways to enrich their lives.  After all, we are each uniquely created, and that doesn’t change simply because we lose some or all of our cognitive abilities.  How are you enriching the lives of your friends and loved ones in cognitive decline?  Listen carefully for clues of what make them unique, then find a way to enhance that.  You’ll make a new memory for yourself, and you’ll help them revive a positive memory that may have otherwise been lost.  It will be a truly unique experience for both of you.

As Lady-Links, we look for ways to engage our dear friends in conversation.  Show and Tell is a great way to help spark memories which lead to a single comment or even a discussion.

Everything is special when we look at it in a new way.  We encourage our dear friends to look at all aspects of the object we’ve brought, and we draw attention to several (but not all because that would be overwhelming) of the details we think would be of interest. 

Sometimes the back of an object (or the underside of an object) can be the point of new interest.

We always bring objects that our dear friends can hold.  Touching, feeling the surface and managing the weight of an object promote comments and increase cognitive awareness.  Tasting and smelling are great ways to engage our dear friends in memories.

With the permission of the families of our dear friends, we bring foods that they will enjoy.  It’s always special to hear stories about favorite treats from childhood, especially those associated with holidays.

Refreshments provide a welcoming atmosphere and promote special memories to share.

As a part of a Show and Tell visit, special sweets or snacks are a great discussion starter!  We have enjoyed comparing notes on how our mothers taught us to cook and even what we learned in homemaking classes.  Look for items that would be of interest to your friends or loved ones with cognitive issues and bring them to your next visit.  You’ll find something enjoyable to talk about, and it will be a special time for you both.

Sharing stories about fall activities while making a seasonal craft is a fun way to welcome the coming change.

Our crafts are chosen to engage our dear friends in conversation and activity. We loved reminiscing about seeing the color changes in the trees, feeling the cooler temperatures, and playing in the leaves when we were children.

Working together to complete a craft makes our dear friends feel that they have made a significant contribution to the project’s success.

Active participation is the goal. We find that when we give directions one step at a time and provide the help to get started, that our dear friends can accomplish most of the tasks necessary to complete the artwork.

We plan carefully how the craft will be done, and some of the smaller detailed work is in place before the visit begins.  The eyes on this sunflower project were difficult to adhere, so we added them in our preparation stages.  As a result, the craft was assembled easily and provided for an enjoyable time.

Fall is a special time of the year!  Include your friend or loved one with cognitive decline in activities to help them enjoy the season.  It’s fall, ya’ll!

When Lady-Links was organized in 2013, we did so for the purpose of being a blessing to a sweet lady in our community who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.  We thought that we would be “giving” encouragement and positive benefits to her life through engaging her in activities that she enjoyed.  Little did we know that the “blessings” would be both ways….that we would receive as much or more than we were giving.  Although that sweet lady passed away last year, her legacy continues as we visit other sweet ladies (we refer to them as dear friends)  engaging them in activities that add meaning, value and joy to their lives and to ours as well.

A bushel, in case you’ve forgotten, is equal to 32 quarts, and a peck is equal to 8 quarts.  Now, whether you’re measuring apples or blessings,  that’s a whole bunch!  When Doris Day sang, “I love you…a bushel and a peck… those are measurements that the Lady-Links understand.

Lady-Links can say for sure that a “bushel and a peck” of blessings flow both ways!

The completed “Bushel of Blessings” door hangers will be given to our retirement community’s Pastoral Ministries Director to distribute during Sunday afternoon vespers.  As a result,  “a whole bunch” of people will be blessed!  Visiting your friends or loved ones with any type of cognitive decline can bring a bushel and a peck of joy to their lives and yours as well.  Try it, you’ll like it…and so will they!

Each year our community schedules a walk  to raise funds and awareness for the prevention, treatment and eventually a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease.  This year, heavy rains dampened everything but our spirits!  The only difference was that we walked inside rather than outside!

We had more participation than ever,  and we exceeded our goal for the amount of funds we hoped to raise.

We had plenty to celebrate…

• the funds we raised
• the commitment our community has to visiting those residents who have Alzheimer’s
• the awareness of Alzheimer’s within our community through support groups, presentations and programs
• the support our community gives to the caregivers and families of those who have Alzheimer’s

There are many ways you can make a difference in the lives of those living with this disease.  Our Lady-Links group does it all….we visit, we walk and we give. We encourage you to do the same.  Together, we will make a difference!

What a wonderful celebration it was! More than 50 people attended our 5th Anniversary Party to acknowledge the results that are being accomplished by the Lady-Links through friendship visits to their dear friends who are in various stages of cognitive decline.  The Lady-Links, their friends and family, and members of our community staff were invited guests.

Our retirement community administrative team brought greetings, recognizing the positive impact that Lady-Links have made.  The executive director presented each Lady-Link with a custom designed lapel pin with a heart at its center and wording that reads, “Lady-Links Care. Linking Love.”  Those pins will be a keepsake to be worn and treasured.

In the five years since Lady-Links was organized, 55 ladies have been trained as Lady-Links serving 15 dear friends. Over 1,525 visits have been made, representing 4,575 individual hours.   Activities include assembling crafts, playing games, baking cookies, enjoying musical activities, making cards, having show and tell conversations, and celebrating special events and holidays.

Lady-Links are not experts on cognitive concerns, but they don’t need to be.  They are experts on being friends because they know how to enrich their dear friends’ lives through love and laughter with meaningful activities.

Families of the dear friends are generous with their praise for Lady-Links.  They notice better social skills, improved mood, and an increase in their loved one’s quality of life.

Lady-Links are looking forward to their sixth year as they continue to give and receive love from the dear friends they have come to consider as family.  Love is a precious commodity… the more the Lady-Links give it away, the more they get it back.  Lady-Links:  Linking Love, Laughter and Life!  That’s the Lady-Links goal for the years ahead.

 

Lady-Links is about to celebrate a Fifth Year Anniversary of visiting ladies in our community who have some type of cognitive impairment.  A look back at our Fourth Year Anniversary Party holds some special memories.

Precious memories of those we lost this past year but will always love….

We are looking ahead to another year for Lady-Links to give and receive joy through these visits to our dear friends we have come to love so much. Love is a precious commodity…the more we give it away, the more we get it back.   Lady-Links would agree with Tennyson who wrote, “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

Our retirement community embraces Lady-Links as a valuable resource for inspiration and information regarding how to interact with those who are in cognitive decline.  We are a solid presence in Health Fairs and Volunteer Fairs, and we are grateful for the opportunity to share our story about Lady-Links.

However,  being “up front” as a resource didn’t come quickly.  It came as a result of several years of successful visits to dear ladies with cognitive impairment.  Those visits are filled with love and laughter, bringing improved quality of life to the sweet ladies we refer to as “dear friends.”  Although each visit lasts about an hour, it represents hours of work in preparation.  Here’s a behind the scenes look at what it takes to make a successful visit.

TRAINING

We are knowledgeable in how to work with and communicate with those who have memory loss and cognitive issues.  Our training focuses on making the visits successful by engaging our dear friends in activities they find meaningful and will enjoy.  We discuss strategies that work and how to correct those that don’t work.

PLANNING

We schedule our visits two months in advance and select activities that have significance to the dear friend we’re visiting.

PREPARING

We enjoy a variety of activities with our dear friends including assembling crafts, playing games, baking cookies, enjoying musical activities, making cards, having show and tell conversations, and celebrating special events and holidays.  If something needs to be cut or glued or mixed ahead of time so that things go easily at the actual visit, we do that work in advance.

We spend hours of time looking for crafts to purchase that are easy to assemble.

If we can’t find an appropriate craft to purchase, we make our own.

The behind the scenes work contributes to making the visits successful, but the real keys to success are the actual Lady-Links themselves.  They are friendly and compassionate, dedicated to engaging their dear friends in activities that will add meaning, value and joy to their lives.