The National Dinner -- heartrending and motivated. I was fortunate to attend an amazing dinner last night in Washington as a guest of Philips. This looked like, but was no ordinary awards banquet. The National Alzheimer's Dinner, the organization's largest (and most well-attended, ever) Alzheimer's Association annual fundraising event, hosted by Meredith Vieria and with a parade of famous folk. These included Jane Seymour who has made a documentary about Alzheimer's sufferer Glen Campbell, Maria Shriver who produced The Alzheimer's Project on HBO, and Pat Summitt, the famed Tennessee coach who has early onset (beginning at age 58) Alzheimer's Disease, who was there with her son. Beyond those folk (!), the evening's ceremony included heart-stopping comments from individuals who currently have a diagnosis of Alzheimer's. But then the audience stood up in groups -- first to stand were individuals who have a current diagnosis, then those with a family member diagnosed with Alzheimer's, followed by those caregiving for someone with the disease, finally those with a family member who died as a result of Alzheimer's. Emotionally drained yet?
Residents respond quickly to personalized iPod playlists and laser beam music
technology
Mechanicsburg, PA – Bethany Village has seen surprisingly rapid and positive results through two new high-tech music therapies for residents in assisted living and skilled nursing at the continuing care retirement community. One program has put 48 iPods and personalized playlists into the hands (and ears) of residents age 85 to 97. Another tool, Beamz, lets residents create music by interacting with laser beams, offering a unique and motivating type of fine motor therapy.
Share your frustrations and favorite features for cell phones, microwaves, TV remotes, and other gadgets at the Cognitive Accessibility Facebook page. This project needs your ideas.
NEW YORK, NY – Directly addressing the major—and life-threatening—issue of wandering among individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) and Breadcrumb L.L.C. today announced the rollout of a state-of-the-art locator device and caregiver-friendly monitoring system. This innovative new tracking device is designed specifically for the dementia population and aimed at immediately and precisely pinpointing a person’s whereabouts.
