I am a male caregiver who has worked for Maine-ly Elder Care for five years. Some of my recent experiences have brought me into homes of aging males with varying stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Even though I have taken the 23 hours of on-line instruction to be certified as an Alzheimer’s and Memory Care Caregiver, at times it takes all my wits to discover activities that are safe and will bring joy and meaning to these aging citizens. For some, it’s a simple card game, checkers or cribbage. For Mr. A (a recently acquired client), I discovered he loved it when I read simple adventure stories aloud to him. The adventures of Nate the Great, boyhood detective, were the right medicine. It gave him a time to exercise his failing abilities to concentrate and brought me a particular delight when he could ask me questions about what I’d just read to him! Now that’s a reward that won’t just be put in a drawer and forgotten. And this is how I try to treat those I care for– with dignity, respect and grace.
Daniel Clark PSS