by Jane Kenyon In the Nursing Home She is like a horse grazing a hill pasture that someone makes smaller by coming every night to pull the fences in and in. She has stopped running wide loops, stopped even the tight circles. She drops her head to feed; grass is dust, and the creekbed’s dry. […]
in the nursing home … Read More »
… how nourishing it can be to sit with a person in their 80s and listen to the stories of their life. What’s refreshing about a person of this age is that pride and vanity have largely fallen away from their faces and they gaze on the world in a less defensive, more open, more childlike way.
honoring & following … the elderly … Read More »
… provides individualized care to persons with dementia based on their need. A recent NYT article tells the story. “The dementia floor was named Vermillion Cliffs, after colorfully layered rock formations formed by centuries of erosion, implying that, “although weathered, although tested by dementia, people are beautiful” and “have certain strengths,” said Peggy Mullan, the
beatitudes nursing home … Read More »
… are best managed on a case-by-case basis after thorough evaluation, in general using behavioral approaches (not drugs). Some resources … An excellent monograph from the Alzheimer’s Assoc. A slide-set from the Int’l Pyscho-Geriatric Assoc. More than you want to know … including a primary care guide. A BPSD Handout.
behavioral & psych symptoms of dementia … Read More »
… a film that has won many awards … tells the experiences (through the recovered diary) of an elderly lady living alone in Brooklyn. “Jessie Singer Sylvester moved anonymously through old age in Brooklyn in the 1970s, absorbing one loss after the next — her job of 59 years, her beloved sister, her friends, her
beautiful hills of brooklyn … Read More »
… Rutecki discusses the recent literature (also here) and reminds us that “it’s about time and touch as well. Human intimacy is not reimbursable, it transcends dollars and cents, and we cannot be said to care at all without it.”
the dignity of hand feeding those with dementia … Read More »
Video portraits of elderly Americans living in a variety of circumstances – from Columbia School of Journalism. New Old Age blog summarizes. NYT link.
oh yeah? what’s a real logger look like? Read More »
… Teno and colleagues proposal to offer gentle hand feeding (comfort feeding) instead of feeding tubes. As I discuss elsewhere, the best guide to the person’s food and water needs is their comfort. The NYT discusses here and here.
food & water based on patient need … Read More »
… an excellent resource for family and caregivers of those with severe dementia. Very practical. Excellent explanations and discussion. “Learning to sit in silence and use the five senses during visits takes practice—it does not seem natural at first. A new kind of relationship may be what your loved one needs at this time. Your
caring for those with dementia … Read More »
… you may be surprised at the answer. This is supported by the experience of many of us as well as this article about the use of feeding tubes or gentle hand feeding in nursing homes.
how to evaluate a nursing home … Read More »
