Snow Birds Tag Off, Respite is Ok

I know a sweet woman who is wheelchair bound and has a part-time, live-in caregiver. The caregiver is pleasant, competent, and fulfills her duties very efficiently. But she’s not big on engagement. The woman, Catherine, sits most of the day staring at the television, curtains drawn, while the caregiver either sits in the kitchen or busies herself with her job responsibilities.

Catherine does not have any glaring cognitive deficits. She is a little slow to respond, a little forgetful, and feels a little embarrassed when she doesn’t know the answer to something she should easily recall. Catherine does not have a dementia diagnosis, but is quite under-stimulated.

By way of background, Catherine’s sole advocate is her sister Jan.

Jan resides with Catherine six months out of the year. The other six months Jan travels with her husband Don. This is a common phenomenon often referred to as “snow-birding”. Jan reached out to SparkingJoy.org to supplement Catherine’s care. For six months SparkingJoy.org serves as Catherine’s primary advocate. Prior to taking on this role I spent 6 hours over three visits with Catherine and Jan. We tapped in to Catherine’s life experiences. We became friends. This allowed for creating custom - personal - engaging - positive activities & visits.

I see Catherine 4 times per week. Curtains are opened. There is an upbeat, cheerful attitude into the room. We talk, move and giggle. Put on music and we sing. We reminisce about past specifics. Just be -- in the moment. Talk about the future. We play, craft and create.

Some games that get neural connections firing and Catherine enjoys include Dominos, Cribbage, Go Fish, Pictionary, Scrabble and Wheel of Fortune. I use YouTube video clips and photographs to spark storytelling.

Sometimes we strive to work on motor responses, sometimes attention, sometimes memory, and sometimes language. I noticed the caregiver is now motivated to engage with Catherine because games / activities are fun, not work. I think games that provide an element of anticipation and risk are great for attention and alertness. Transitioning then to purposeful activities like food prep, eating, self-care, opening mail after our “game time” is more productive and meaningful.

#dementia #memorycare #homecare #respite