Search Results for: Madeline

A staffer came up to me at the Mansion today and asked if I would spend some time with Diane, she was restless today, pacing the halls and distracted. I approached her with a book we could read together and she did read for awhile, but then I saw she kept looking at Red, she loves animals Red was zeroing in on her, as she does.

I thought he might be what she needed, and I decided he needed to get up on the couch with her, so I pointed and said “up” and he jumped up and the two of them communed for awhile, and Diane calmed down before my eyes.

She kept saying to Red, “no one will hurt you, I won’t let anyone hurt you,” over and over again until she was at ease and totally focused on him, and he on her. Red is an analyst in his own right.

He has the power to soothe and perhaps heal. Animals have enormous healing powers.

You can write to Diane and the other residents of the Mansion c/o The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.  Here is a list of the Mansion residents who wish to receive  your cards or messages or photos. A box of stuffed animals arrived at the Mansion today for Valentine’s day, and thanks.

The names are Winnie, Jean, Ellen, Mary, Gerry, Sylvie, Jane, Diane, John, Alice, Jean, Madeline, Joan, Alan, Bill, John K, Helen, Bob, Alanna, Barbara, Peggie, Dorothy, Tim, Debbie, Art, Guerda, Brenda, Wayne, Ken, Ruth.

Thanks, your letters mean so much to them. On Valentine’s Day we will open your many gifts and packages and letters, and the Round House Cafe is offering a special lasagna lunch with cookies and cakes.I’m thinking about Easter now.

I was more than a little excited when I went over to the Mansion this afternoon with my five books from the Reading2Connect publishing company, which has created a series of book designed for older people with memory challenges.

The books are exceptionally readable, yet are not patronizing.

The publishers say they mean to “retain the integrity of adult literature.” That they do.

We called a meeting of residents at the Mansion, and I introduced them to the activity and reading books.  They are used to reading books that are often beneath them, these books are right with them.

Sometimes this group can be attentive, sometimes not.  On the subject of reading, they are all  eyes and  ears.

They were locked into what I was saying, listening carefully, eager to understand. I told them I was not aware of any complete cure for memory loss, that would be stunning news. But perhaps we could learn to use memory in different ways, exercise it a bit, give it a workout like any other exercise.

I spend hour reading these books before I brought them, and I was hopeful. They were different.

I read from the mission statement of the authors, Susan Ostrowski and Peter Dixon. The idea, they said, is to write books that allow older adults to independently lead and engage in reading activities by themselves or with their peers.

“Modifications to the reading material in regards to text,  graphic layout, illustrations, language and content can compensate well for a reader’s visual and cognitive deficits. making these adaptations without compromising the intelligence and integrity of a piece of writing and without creating a juvenile quality to the work is critical.”

From my first introduction of some of these books to the residents, I hoped they could become powerful tools for reviving and strengthening memory, and for helping people with memory loss regain their voice and their interest in reading.

The authors were being diplomatic, much of the material given to older residents with memory care are children’s books, somewhat disguised or not.

In face, people with memory loss are often treated like children. This is understandable when it works, they sometimes appear to act like children, but I am eager to see if treating their reading with more dignity and respect might help with memory and cognitive issues.

There is no cure for Alzheimer’s or  Dementia, that ought to be clear to everybody from the start,  and I would never suggest anything else was possible. It’s not for me to say that or promise that.. I don’t do miracles or alter fate.

I told the residents I wanted to offer a page or two from the book “Read Aloud Word Games” today, a kind of trial.

All eyes were on me, when I read the “Complete The Proverbs Page.” I had rarely felt that degree of focus from so many of the residentsat once. Only one person in the room was dozing.

I began reading from sentences like “Slow and steady wins the ___ and let the people in the room answer (race) or “Practice What You______” (preach).

I was started to see how the room came so quickly to life. Seven or eight of the residents – there were 14 in the room – answered the questions right away, several others paused and answered, three of four were silent. They seemed to be elsewhere, I marked them down for one-on-one reading conversations and interactions.

I asked Joan, who has severe memory loss if she wanted to work with me, and she raised her hand up high, and said “yes, I do.”

What I saw right away was that memory is never really, lost, it is often impossible for these older people to recall.  The brain is believed to retain most memory, but over time it can no longer be accessed easily, or at all.

As a test, I asked several if they could tell me what April showers bring to May. None of them answered me, they looked confused, there was silence. When I read out loud “April Showers bring May….” they all said “flowers” in unison.

We went down the rest of the page quickly.

They were proud and excited – and relieved I think – to know the answers so quickly, and to get to shout them out. It seemed to stimulate and focus them. They were seeing that they did have memory, and it could be stimulated, even revived to some degree.

And I will be honest. I have no idea how far we can go with this. Most of the people who work with this memory loss do not believe it is possible to do too much. We’ll see. I loved the energy and pride I saw in that room today. And I believe I saw  hope.

I also got the Reading2Connect idea of reviving voice. The residents were not sluggish or disoriented in their voices, as they sometimes are. They were loud and clear and almost jubilant. They were laughing and eager to hear the next proverb. This in itself is healing and healthy. It sounded like pride.

These books are also something the readers can hopefully eventually read themselves, without something leading them. It’s like being a parent to me, if I do my job, I won’t be necessary.

The books, say the authors, seek to satisfy “the universal desires that define us, such as the longing for peer friendships, for laughter, for the experience of learning new things, to and for the chance to be helpful to others.”

These are some of the missing elements of life in assisted care, they  by definition leave almost everything they love behind, as they are often left behind.

After i read from the book, I showed the the other books we will be reading from Reading2Connect.

“Masters Of Comedy,” focusing on jokes and names from their own culture – George Burns, Gracie Allen – “Read-Aloud Activities,”  “Man’s Best Friend,”  books questions, memories and stories about dogs (the residents love to talk about their dogs, they all remember the name of every dog they have ever had, even when they can’t say where they are); more Read Aloud Word Games,” and a book on “Birds.”

The books are, in fact, subtle and indirect. They feel like conversations, not lessons or lectures. They respect the culture of the elderly rather than force the culture of children onto them. They encourage interaction with one another.

This is just the first lesson, it exceeded my expectations.

I am quite excited by what i saw in the eyes and faces of the residents. Their minds were churning, they were awake in every sense of the word.

So just about every hand went up when I asked if they wanted more lessons, in a group or one-on-one.

Madeline is in her 90’s, she has memory issues but is intelligent and aware. She never joins group activities, she is fiercely independent, but her hand shot up right away when I asked who wanted to work with me on reading and memory.

She said she would love to be part of a group lesson.

I scheduled the first lessons for February 7. We’ll schedule more after that. I want some of the residents to read the books to me.

I am grateful to Susan Ostrowski and Peter Dixon, they are onto something that could touch the lives of many people, whose potential and creativity has often been abandoned and left to wither and die. Like them, their memory feels left behind.

Memory is life, the more we can use and more we can keep, the richer and fuller our lives. I saw glimmers of that today. We’ll see where it goes.

I’m going to order more books. If you wish to help,  you can donate to Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or via Paypal, [email protected]. And thanks.

A busy time at the Mansion to update. I brought Wayne three pairs of sweatpants (above) that he needed. I brought Ruth a beautiful and simple jewelry-making kits, she wants to make jewelry for children. She was  excited. I learned from Connie that it is so important to give the residents the simple tools they need to create.

The Mansion residents asked me if I could help them get a larger cage for their two parakeets,  the one they have is too small. Sylvie would like a carpet to put under her bed to warm up the room, literally and figuratively. I have located an inexpensive and larger bird cage.

I proposed to the residents that I get a 10 gallon fish tank, with some goldfish and nice plants and a filter and heater, and some of them were in a grumpy mood today, they were uncertain, they wanted to know who would change the water, although they would like to see the fish. There was also some disagreement about where the tank would go.

I think they need to ponder the idea, many have been asking for a fish tank for some time.

Some were annoyed about the Zucchini Bread they tried to cook, it came out “mush,” several said. A staffer laughed and said the Mansion residents were coming to trust me, they were no longer afraid to give me  a hard time. I’ll try the fish again later.

The Geranium garden tray is looking good, I made sure there was some water in the plastic tray. I think I’ve located a bedroom carpet for Sylvie, a friend is selling her  house, and has a carpet to give away free. I’ll go look at it tomorrow or Thursday.

And your Valentine’s day cards, letters and packages are beginning to arrive. Valentine’s Day is February 14, we are hosting a special lunch for the Mansion residents. Your messages and decorations are most welcome, and make an enormous difference, thanks.

They are all stored away until the holiday.

Red and Wayne have bonded, Wayne called me over today to propose that Red has a sleep over at the Mansion, Wayne would make all of the arrangements. One day perhaps, I said. we needed Red at the farm.

The following is a list of Mansion residents who wish to receive your messages, mail and packages: The Mansion address is 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y.  12816.

Winnie, Jean A., Ellen, Bill, Mary, Gerry, Sylvie, Jane, Diane, Alice, Jean, Madeline, Joan, Allan, John K., Helen, Bob, Alanna, Barbara, Peggie, Dorothy, Tim, Debbie, Art, Guerda, Brenda, David, Kenneth, Ruth, Wayne.

If you wish to donate to the Mansion/Refugee Fund, you can do so by sending checks to me at this address: Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or via Paypal, [email protected].

It took about an hour for Bliss to carefully “propagate” our new Mansion Geranium Garden, Sylvie (back left) already has her eye on the plant she likes, it has a white circle on one of the leaves. Madeline is eager to have a plant in her room.

Bliss turned  each small planting tub into a greenhouse, she put two wooden sticks in each planter to hold up the plastic bag she put over the top. The humidity from the bags will help the Geranium cuttings grow. We finished the first try and put it in its new home near the door, we will come back to make a second tray.

I was excited by Bliss and her wonderful feel for the plants, she let me plant two and I loved the feel of them going into the soft dirt. I might adopt one myself if there are any left to adopt. And I will keep an eye on them all.

By Spring, we’ll have some beautiful flowers to hand out or to plant in the Mansion Garden. We think this might make it as an annual event.

This has been a hard winter for the Mansion residents, it is difficult to ever take a walk, and sometimes you can feel the arctic wind creeping around the windows, even as the giant Mansion furnace rumbles and roars. Inside the Great Room and in the hallways and rooms, it is snug and inviting.

I felt it was important for the residents to have living things to nurture and watch grow and take care of. I got this idea for a Geranium garden that they could plant and care for, and each one could pick a plant or flower to put their name on, and in the spring or summer, they might take a flower into their room or plant some Geraniums in the big Mansion garden just outside the back porch.

They were excited about the idea, about a dozen residents came to see Bliss McIntosh, a gardener, botanist and community activist in our town, she oversees the Cambridge Community Garden, a beautiful garden cared for by  the town as a whole, a beautiful act of community.

Bliss is one of those people who makes community live, and she graciously agreed to come over to the Mansion and talk about Geraniums and how to help them grow. I bought the supplies – the special soil, the root powder, the small containers and the trays. Bliss brought some Geranium cuttings.

She explained that Geraniums are hardy flowers and can grow well indoors, kept away from the sun and radiators and not drowned by too much water. Barb, who cares for the two Mansion parakeets diligently and lovingly, agreed to care for the Geranium cuttings. She will be all over it.

Below, a short video of Bliss talking to the Mansion residents.

Everyone said they would want to adopt a flower and keep track of it as they grow. I’ve learned that the residents are almost desperate to care for living things – cats, dogs, birds, and now flowers. They didn’t take their eyes off of Bliss, she walked all of us through the process. We put soil in the pots and planted ten Geranium seedlings.

Bliss and I are coming back to plant another ten. We put them on the opposite wall near the front door, there is shade there and no radiators close by. She showed us how much water to put in the tray and how to gauge the plant’s health. I will be responsible for checking on the plants two or three times a week, and will help Barb out.

I loved the attention and excitement in the room, and I will be following the story of these cuttings. I think much of what we do for the Mansion is bringing life, light and color to the lives here. I’ve seen how much the parakeets mean to them, and I imagine they will pay close attention to these plants and watch them come to life and grow.

Sometimes I think the absence of diverse life is the greatest challenge of assisted care. Many of the residents feel removed from life, and your cards and letters and photos and decorations and gifts have brought life into their lives. My job is keep it going.

Living things are a metaphor for all of us, I think the Geranium Garden will bring much life into this warm place. I thank the Army of Good for their support of this project. Next event will be a Valentine’s Day lunch on February 14, catered by the Round House Cafe: lasagna, cookies and cake. A Valentine’s Day party will be held just after lunch in the Great Room.

I am exploring some special food for the Chinese New Year  as well.

Decorations, pendants, crafts, noisemakers, heart symbols, photos and gifts are welcome. Here is a list of the Mansion residents who wish to receive mail:

Winnie, Jean, Ellen, Mary, Gerry, Sylvie, Jane, Diane, Alice, Jean G., Madeline, Joan, Alan, John K., Helen, Bob, Alanna, Barb, Peggie, Dottie, Tim, Debbie, Art, Guerda, Brenda, David, Kenneth, Ruth, Wayne.

If you wish to donate to the Mansion or refugee work, you can do so by sending a contribution to my post office box, Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or via Paypal, [email protected].

Thank you, thank you. Truly, you have touched and lifted the hearts of so many people. A Geranium tray seems like a small thing, and it is simple and inexpensive. But to the residents, it is a very big thing, they are already studying the plants to see which one they wish to adopt.