Happy Monday!  Today began with devotions with Pastor Mari.  It was a wonderful time singing and listening to the message she gave.  Then we went outside to take a walk on the patio and through the garden and relaxed and chatted.  It was very nice!  This afternoon we worked on some artwork with watercolors and colored pencils.  It was another nice relaxing time until Tolstoy came in!  He showed off his dog sled skills and pulled me in a wheelchair!  The residents were entertained by that and it was a lot of fun!  Tolstoy also showed us all of his favorite tricks including going through the tunnel, puzzles, and piano playing.  He got many treats from everyone today with everything he did, he was one happy dog and we were happy to watch him!
Jessica 
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Happy Saturday! It was a beautiful day here in Lakeville, Minnesota at the Fountains! We spent our morning in the garden listening to music, singing, chatting, admiring the blue sky, flowers and even some trivia! My favorite moment was when we all noticed a beautiful flock of birds fly over head and a resident shared this poem with us....
"A bird flew over, a bird flew by. A bird dropped whitewash in my eye. Cry, cry, not I. I just thank God cows can't fly!"
We all laughed so hard our cheeks hurt!
​It was a classic summer time meal for lunch today! Hamburgers on fresh homebaked buns, baked beans and fresh watermelon! YUM! This afternoon we enjoyed each others company with some friendly games of BINGO! Followed by a movie matinee, "March of the Penguins". Enjoy the photos!
~Melissa

Happy Friday!  It was another wonderful morning.  We spent the whole time outside on the patio before lunch.  We started with "The Seas Trivia" which was very interesting to learn more about the ocean and animals.  It was also a great time reminiscing about their own experiences being at the ocean or lake.  Next, was stretches and our beach ball toss.  That was fun as always!  This afternoon was the July birthday party!  There was a great performer, Randy Rolloff, that sang many songs that included artists like Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and many other favorite classic songs.  It made it extra fun with his different hats that he wore with each song.  The cake was a nice treat too!  It was such a good time!  Please enjoy the pictures from bingo yesterday and the birthday party.   
Have a great weekend!
Jessica 
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Happy Thursday!  It was a wonderful morning spent outside on this beautiful day. We spent time together with the mind joggers activity which included ice cream trivia.  It was getting a little hot in the sun so we had to think of something cold!  It was nice to get some sun but we had to move to the shade after a few minutes and do our beach ball toss.  Everyone showed off their great volleyball skills today, it was great time!  It was bingo this afternoon.  We had a great big group and we all had a fun time playing!   Lastly, today was Music Safari.  They started with some stretches to music and listened to a variety of music while playing instruments.  It was a fantastic time!        
Jessica 

At the end of June, I had the opportunity to experience the first ever North American Dementia Action Alliance Conference in Atlanta. This was an amazing event, the best and most moving dementia conference I have ever been to, and it scrambled my brain in the very best way. 

The conference organizers included persons with early-stage dementia in their planning. There were many speakers at the conference who also had dementia, who spoke movingly and clearly about horrendous experiences with diagnosis (example: essentially being told by the doctor to “get your affairs in order”, and just prepare to curl up and die) the stigma that accompanies the diagnosis, the despair the ensues, and the long climb back into hope, purpose and connection which now fills their lives.

​There were 30 persons who attended the conference who are currently living well with dementia, and doing amazing things. Yes, they run on adrenaline in conference situations and there is another side to their lives that conference goers like me can only imagine, i.e. the utter exhaustion at the end of the day, the confusion that comes and goes, the losing one’s way in a large hotel, the forgetting a portion of what happened this morning. 
Here are 10 things I learned: 

1. While I am the Dimensions Coordinator for Ebenezer, a large and reputable organization which cares for older people, many of them with dementia, I am NOT a dementia expert.  People who have dementia are the real dementia experts, and we all, including me, need to listen to them more.  
2. People with dementia are very smart, especially about dementia.  Having dementia is not to be confused with mental retardation. (I assumed that I understood that already, but it was only after hearing this panel of people who happened to have dementia and who were all brilliant, articulate and expressive did I really get it.)  People with dementia use their intelligence to compensate, to reach out to others, and to express their truth.   
3. People with dementia do not appreciate the automatic assumption that they are “suffering” with dementia.  Yes, they may be struggling to stay connected to who they were, but they are not steeped in misery 24/7.  As one person very succinctly put it, “I have Alzheimer’s, but it doesn’t have me”. 
4. We must change the lens with which we view dementia. Persons with dementia would prefer to be seen as “living with a chronic disability” rather than “dying from a fatal disease”.  We encourage people to give up when we frame it in the latter way.  People often have MANY years left once given a diagnosis.  A pronouncement of their “timeline” may not serve them well. No one has a crystal ball.  
5. People with dementia are creative and flexible.  Many have found ways to compensate for changes in their cognition; they use tools, routines, technology and strategies to support themselves.    
6. People with dementia are keenly aware of our response to them; they’re sensitive to the mood on our faces and the look in our eyes.  If we are kind and open, and willing to meet the person where they are at, that means the world to them.  If we only pity them, or turn away because we don’t know how to respond, that hurts.
7. People with dementia have passion: passion to make a difference in the lives of others with dementia, passion to rise above the fog that sets in, passion to choose to LIVE, passion to mentor others with dementia (visit DementiaMentors.org for more information). Their passion fuels them to live their purpose.  They may find that purpose in creating art.  One participant at the conference spoke of losing her ability to speak early on in her dementia process.  For a time, she was suffering intensely.  She felt devastated, and without hope. A smart friend got her into a clay workshop and she started making pots.  Now, her sense of purpose is fueled by making astoundingly elegant, museum-quality pots.  And by the way, she has completely regained her ability to speak.
8. People with dementia are fierce advocates.  They are resilient.  They do get tired of course, partially because they spend a lot of energy making sure other people are comfortable with their illness. 
9. People with dementia are ordinary people.  They do not want to disappear.  They try to forget about dementia so that it doesn’t define them.
10. People with dementia want to live a life with a sense of normalcy, and to live fully, for as long as possible.  This includes the right to make mistakes once in a while.  Do people without dementia have the right to make some mistakes?  

So, there’s a lot of food for thought here for those of us who care for people with dementia at any stage.  I have to wonder…What if every resident with dementia at Ebenezer had the advantage, at the start  of his/her diagnosis, of experiencing the abundance of support, encouragement, mentoring and community that now exists for persons living with an early stage-diagnosis?

Might they be doing a whole lot better now?  I think they might.  But it is never too late to support people in finding a sense of purpose and meaning, and never too late to treat them with the compassion and respect they deserve.  It is with a renewed and profound sense of purpose that I will continue to learn about dementia from the real experts, and to advocate for them, all along the way.     
 
-Marysue Moses, Ebenezer Dimensions Coordinator, mmoses1@fairview.org

Happy Monday!  The day started with devotions with Pastor Mari.  We sang a couple of beautiful hymns and she had another great message for us.  It was a wonderful time!  Then we all went outside for fresh air and exercise.  There was a lunch outing to Pizza Ranch today.  The residents couldn't get over how much food there was and how good of a deal it was!  The food was so good, especially all the different kinds of pizza and fried chicken.  It was such a nice time out!  This afternoon, we baked million dollar sugar cookies.  As you can see, we had a marvelous group of bakers today!  After baking, everyone went outside for a few minutes and later watched a big band concert!
Jessica     

Happy Saturday!  The day started with some morning funnies.  It great laughing at all kinds of hilarious flight announcements!  Next, we played the balloon toss game for a few minutes and then went outside for a bit of fresh air before lunch.  Everyone loves being out on the patio!  This afternoon was the cello recital.  One of our volunteers and her teacher/group played for us.  There were about five cello players, one violin player, piano player, and accordion player! It was amazing and everybody loved it!
Jessica 

Happy, happy Friday!!  Today began with morning stretches.  It was a great way to start the day!  Then we did mind jogger/word games.  They all did a fantastic job with those.  One of the ladies kept saying all the answers and we joked with her to let other people have a turn, it was pretty funny!  Everyone wanted to watch baby videos so we found some really cute new videos of babies laughing at dogs.  All of us were smiling and laughing right along with them, they were the best!  This afternoon, we played games like the bean bag toss game, horseshoes, and bowling.  It was very fun!  Then we listened to James play his wonderful songs on the piano!  After that, they watched America's Most Scenic Drives from Texas to Yellowstone.  
Jessica  
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It was another wonderful day!  This morning started with Read My List word game and reminiscing about a wide variety of things including travels and pets.  It was a good time and we all learned something new about each other.  Next, was our morning stretches and then the bean bag toss game.  It was a great time and it's so nice to see them all encouraging and cheering each other on.  It was the ice cream social today!  Everyone enjoyed root beer floats!  What a treat!  When we were done with the floats, we watched a video of Elvis Presley's greatest hits.  They had a great time watching and singing and dancing to the music!  We also played a jeopardy game with Jennifer for Music Safari.  What a great job they did guessing the songs and singers and musicals.  It was fun!  

Happy Tuesday!  It was a busy and fantastic morning!  We started with some hilarious animal riddles and other jokes.  There were a few riddles they guessed right!  Those gave us a good laugh!  Next, we had a sing-a-long and sang different old time songs like, "Que Sera Sera," "By the Light of the Silvery Moon," and "In the Good Old Summertime."  Everyone sang, it was wonderful!  Then, we listened to Elvis Presley songs and we had a great time dancing and singing more!  We also tossed the balloon and beach ball to one another which was also fun!  The morning ended with videos of babies laughing!  This afternoon, the residents watercolor painted reef/fish scenes and played games, Jenga and Uno!  It was a full room filled with lots of fun stuff going on!  After all that fun, we spent some time doing the Read My List word games.  Enjoy the pictures!      

Jessica 
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