Drama on the High Seas at Ecumen Prairie Lodge
The “mateys” at Ecumen Prairie Lodge in Brooklyn Center recently put on a pirate play, complete with pretend swords, sea monsters, booty and buccaneers. It was a glorious day of make-believe on the high seas.
Dementia Friendly “Memory Café” Concept Moves to Rural Minnesota
Willmar, Minn., is among the first rural areas to launch the memory cafe approach to help those with dementia.
North Branch Reporter and Mayor Get a Dementia Simulation at Ecumen North Branch
Mike Bleninger, a reporter for The Post Review in North Branch, Minn., and North Branch Mayor Kristen Hagen-Kennedy got a firsthand sense of what it’s like to have dementia.
Dementia Symptoms May Have Other Causes — And Be Reversible
Don't assume dementia symptoms always mean a dementia diagnosis.
Dementia-Friendly Communities Emerging in Midwest
Around Minnesota and Wisconsin, you will be seeing more businesses posting a new window cling with a purple angel symbol and this message: “We are a Dementia Friendly Business.”
An Unlikely Caregiver Battles Dementia with Friendship at Ecumen Prairie Hill in St. Peter
Doug Mehlhaff’s job description is about caretaking rather than caregiving. But lately it’s hard to make the distinction.
As Environmental Services Manager at Ecumen Prairie Hill and Sand Prairie in St. Peter, Minn., Doug is responsible for the bricks and mortar and the surrounding grounds — making sure the residents have a safe, clean and well-maintained place to live.
But when you see Doug working at that job, very often you see Bill Sexe too. Bill is 63 years old and is a resident at Ecumen Prairie Hill. He has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and Lewy body disease, a progressive brain disorder that cause motor impairment and is the second leading cause of dementia in the elderly. The routines of daily life are full of challenges for him.
Bill and Doug have formed a deep and abiding bond — a bigger-than-dementia friendship that touches the heart of everyone who sees them together.
“This is such a special relationship,” says Nicki Rehnelt, the housing director. “Seeing Doug and Bill moving through the day together is just so uplifting.”
It’s not that they do anything out of the ordinary. Rather, it’s that the very ordinary things they do together take on a special meaning because of Bill’s disease and Doug’s determination to help him have a normal life.
They pull weeds. They water flowers. They clean carpets. Or they just go for a walk.
Doug says when Bill came to live at Ecumen Prairie Hill last April it was just so obvious that Bill want to be doing more — that he was not going to succumb to this disease.
As if it were meant to be, the friendship just happened. “I just sort of started helping Bill help himself,” Doug said. “I knew that he could be doing more.”
Their routine is now well-established. Most days, they’ll have breakfast together and get to work, side by side. “If I don’t see Bill, I really miss him,” Doug says.
“Bill just wants to be one of the guys, and there’s only about 10 years difference in our ages,” says Doug. “We’re able to communicate and just be good friends. Sometimes he’ll have a really bad day, and we’ll talk it through and find the faith side of a bad situation.”
And they find wisdom. Doug says the main thing he has learned though his friendship with Bill is simply this: “No matter what, live every day to the fullest.”
Last Week's Top 5 Blog Posts - August 18
In case you missed out on the latest Changing Aging news, here are the blog posts our online visitors found most interesting last week - including: Dementia Care: It Doesn't Have To Be This Way, How I'm Preparing to Get Alzheimer's, Enjoying Art in Duluth, Oh That Beautiful Doll and more. Click here to read these great stories:
Dr. John Brose on Dementia Care: It Doesn't Have to be this Way
TED Talk Video: How I'm Preparing to Get Alzheimer's
The Pure Enjoyment of Art at Ecumen Lakeshore
Oh, That Beautiful Doll Returns to Ecumen North Branch
Ecumen Century Club: Happy 104th Birthday Grace Zemlin
To read more Changing Aging blog posts or to learn more about Ecumen, please visit www.ecumen.org!
Last Week's Top 5 Blog Posts - May 5
In case you missed them, here are the blog posts our online visitors found most interesting last week:
A Handy Guide to Communicating With People Who Have Dementia
Young Man's 89-Year-Old Prom Date Gets a Standing Ovation
Jane's Beautiful Birthday Dream Grows at Ecumen of Litchfield
Most Centenarians Feel Positive - And a Lot Younger Than They Are
To read for Changing Aging blog posts or to learn more about Ecumen, please visit www.ecumen.org.
A Handy Guide to Communicating With People Who Have Dementia
Dementia gradually diminishes a person’s ability to communicate properly, requiring patience, understanding and good listening skills. The following infographic offers a few suggestions on how to overcome barriers between you and the person with dementia.
Source: Open Placement, a California firm providing seniors, families and care coordinators real-time information and tools so they can find the right senior housing and home care providers. You can find the original blog post here.
Last Week's Top 5 Blog Posts
In case you missed them, here are last week's Top 5 blog posts:
Great Minds Gala Video: Ashley and Shannon Campbell Perform Tribute to their Father
Ecumen's Christy Johnson Gets Very Serious About Fun and Games
Ecumen's Annual Report to the Community
A Look at Alzheimer's Through the Eyes of a Young Doctor
Ecumen Detroit Lakes Receives Grant to Advance Its Dementia-Friendly Work
For more information about Ecumen or its 37 locations, please visit us at www.ecumen.org.