Our Encinitas Staff Members Are True Super Heroes

 

That's Uriel, Rocio and O.C. performing for National Comic Book Day at our Encinitas Center!

Upcoming Free Workshops for Family Caregivers

Living with Alzheimer's for Caregivers: Early Stage
This two-part series provides practical answers to the questions that arise in the early stage of Alzheimer's Disease. The classes are presented by the Alzheimer's Association and will be held noon to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, February 6 and 13, at Somerford Place Encinitas (1350 South El Camino Real, Encinitas CA 92024). Register at (800) 272-3900.

The Power of Touch
This is a free two-hour workshop from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on January 3, February 7 and March 7 is designed to provide caregivers with essential tools for self-care and relaxation. The sessions take place at the Herrick Community Health Care Library (9001 Wakarusa Street, La Mesa, CA 91942). Learn simple techniques to manage caregiver burnout, increase relaxation and promote healing. This program includes lecture, demonstration and experiential learning. Please dress comfortably. Registration is required by calling (800) 827-4277 or www.sharp.com.

Help! I'm a Caregiver
Are you helping a loved one with socialization, finances, transportation, meals or other activities? Find out about resources for family caregivers, placement options, support groups and more. This free class also covers emotional issues about caring for a loved one. The class, led by Andrea Holmberg of the Sharp Senior Resource Center, takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 7 at Sharp Grossmont Hospital's Brier Patch Campus (9000 Wakarusa Street, Room 13/14, La Mesa CA). To register call (800) 827-4277 or visit www.sharp.com.

Addressing Behavior Through Compassionate Communication
Learn ways to imrpove communication with memory-impaired individuals from 10 a.m. to noon on Thursday, February 7 at the Escondido Senior Center (210 Park Avenue, Escondido CA 92025). Call the Alzheimer's Association to register at (800) 272-3900.

Planning for Future Health Care Needs
This dynamic one-hour workshop will provide participants with the tools to help identify values, goals of care and the communication skills required to select the appropriate health care agent. Led by Colleen Linnertz, LMFT, the workshop will be held 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 9 at Sharp Memorial Outpatient Pavilion (3075 Health Center Drive, San Diego CA). Registration required by calling (800) 827-4277 or visiting www.sharp.com.

Living with Alzheimer's for Caregivers: Middle Stage
This two-part series will be held 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, February 14 and 28, 2013 at Silverado Senior Living Escondido (1500 Borden Road, Escondido, CA 92026. Learn practical answers to the questions that arise in the middle stage of Alzheimer's Disease. To register, contact the Alzheimer's Association at (800) 272-3900.

The Diagnosis, Management and Treatment of Lewy Body Dementia
Do you have a family member or friend with dementia with Lewy Bodies or Parkinson's Disease with dementia? if so, the Southern Caregiver Resource Center, UCSD Parkinson's Disease Research Consortium and Parkinson's Association of San Diego invite you and your loved ones to a free conference. The event takes place 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon on Friday, February 15 at First United Methodist Church's Linder Hall (2111 Camino del Rio South, San Diego CA 92108) and includes breakfast, resource fair and free care for your loved one upon request. Keynote speaker is Dr. Jody Corey-Bloom, M.D., Ph.D, a professor of neurosciences at UCSD. To register, call (800) 827-1008.

Town Hall Forum: Making a Plan, The Smart Approach to Future Alzheimer's Care Needs
This caregiver forum presented by ActivCare will focus on how to plan for the future as Alzheimer's disease or another dementias progress. The sessions takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 21, at the Lake San Marcos Resort Conference Center (1121 La Bonita Drive, San Marcos CA 92078). Speakers include Drs. Neil Levine and Dan Sewell from the Glenner Memory Care Advisory Council and board member Judi Copeland of AALL CARE In-Home Services. Geriatric Care Manager Jean Alton rounds out the speaker roster. Free day care provided by the Glenner Center Encinitas with at least a week's advanced registration by calling (760) 635-1895. To register for the Town Hall Forum, call (888) MEM-LOSS or visit ActivCareLiving.com.

Know the 10 Signs: Early Detection Matters
This workshop provides attendees with information about the difference between normal aging and Alzheimer s Disease, the benefits of early detection, as well as tips to follow up on any concerns that attendees may have about themselves or someone they care about. Presented by Holly Probst of the Alzheimer's Association, the workshop runs 1 to 2 p.m. on Monday, February 25 at the Sharp Memorial Outpatient Pavilion, Classroom A. Register at (800) 827-4277 or (800) 272-3900.

We're Rockin' the Holidays in Encinitas

Congratulations to Uriel Perez

Encinitas Program Director Sheila Argeanton, BSW poses with Uriel Perez after he receives the Glenner Ridenour Award from his peers. Uriel is a program assistant who was praised for his work with our participants and for his respect for fellow employees. We salute Uriel for doing such a great job at Glenner!

Let's Talk Turkey

Special thanks to the women in the Del Norte Chapter of The National Charity League for cooking and serving such a great meal and providing each of our caregiver families with wonderful gift baskets.

Who Needs the County Fair . . .

. . . when we have the Encinitas Center Carnival!

Here's a video we created that captures some of the fun and excitement. Be sure to turn up the volume!

Showing Appreciation for Our Volunteers

Our Encinitas facility in North County yesterday held a Volunteer Appreciation Day. Our participants made chocolate chip cookies and then presented each volunteer with a hand-decorated vase of tissue paper that appeared as stained glass and filled with fresh flowers. The participants were the artisans on the vases too.

Our Alzheimer's Family Centers has a wonderful group of people who volunteer their time and talent to help with various types of therapies -- particularly music, dance, art and pets -- that are always a highlight of the centers' week for both our participants and for our volunteers.

The George G. Glenner Alzheimer's Family Centers also is the administrator for San Diego County's Guardian Angel Volunteer Program, which matches people with isolated seniors.

Find Out More About Our Volunteer Programs

Holiday Celebrations Abound

We've been having a great time merry making at our George G. Glenner Alzheimer's Family Centers. We thought we'd share some scenes of our celebrations. Enjoy!

Recommended Music for Alzheimer's Disease

Last week our participants at The George G. Glenner Alzheimer's Family Centers were treated to a performance by Barry Allen Cohen, also known as Big Daddy of the Big Daddy Orchestra. Barry belted out timeless tunes from past greats like Frank Sinatra and current chart-toppers such as Michael Buble. He also displayed some serious classical guitar skills.

We recently asked our three center managers for recommended music to play for loved ones with dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease. Here's what they suggested:

I'd have to say that two favorite music types here are :

1- Frank Sinatra era... they love to dance and sing along to these classics
2- Enya - Shepherd Moons.. this is a calming favorite here, great for before lunch when the pt's seem to get agitated and in the later afternoon when they start the sundowning. --Dawn DeStefani, South Bay Center in Chula Vista

Any of the old big band groups are excellent. The ones from the 40’s like Jimmy Dorsey. --Sheila Meyer Argeanton, North County Center in Encinitas

There are catalogs that can help you select appropriate music and other activities. Marge Galante, our center manager at our Hillcrest Center in San Diego, suggested the following resources:

Nasco Senior Activities

The Alzheimer's Store

You might also find joyful tunes in children's catalogs as well, since many songs evoke memories of their own childhood and those of early parenthood.

Miss California Sings for Glenner Centers

The reigning Miss California sang to a packed auditorium yesterday as our Encinitas participants sang along to standards like "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Stormy Weather."

Arianna Asfar, who hails from Rancho Penasquitos in northern San Diego, is a spokeswoman for the George G. Glenner Alzheimer's Family Centers and a wonderful ambassador for both Glenner and for uniting youth with the elderly. Her platform issue is "A Helping Hand for America's Seniors."

In addition to being a very bright and beautiful young woman, she's also a talented vocalist. When she was 16, she auditioned for "American Idol" and finished in the Top 36. The recipient of more than 75 talent awards, Arianna also is the founder of the Adopt-A-Grandfriend Club and told a newspaper reporter she was inspired by visits to her grandmother in northern California.

Our Glenner community will be seeing more of Miss California in the coming months as she prepares to compete in the Miss America Pageant on Jan. 15, 2010 (to be televised on ABC). Yesterday's performance took place at Silverado Senior Living's Silverado campus, where our North County center is located.

Groovin' on a Tuesday Afternoon

The first Tuesday of each month a pair of Vista musicians spend an hour playing old standards for the folks at the George G. Glenner Alzheimer's Family Centers in Encinitas. From this short video, you can see how much the participants enjoy it.

Movin' & Groovin' at The George G. Glenner Centers from Run DMZ on Vimeo.

Free Caregivers Weekly Support Group

Yesterday we mentioned we provide support groups for caregivers. We thought some of you new to our organization or the area might be interested in joining one of our groups, so here is some information.

These groups are open to community members and free of charge. Adult day care is provided for your loved one while you participate (if space is available), also at no charge. You do need to call in advance to confirm if you bring your loved one.

HILLCREST
Facilitator: Marge Galante, RN, BSN

3 to 4:30 p.m.
Wednesdays
3702 Fourth Avenue
San Diego
(619) 543-4704

CHULA VISTA
Facilitator: Dawn DeStefani, BSW

3 to 4:30 p.m.
280 Saylor Drive
Chula Vista
(619) 420-1703

ENCINITAS
Facilitator: Sheila Argeanton, BS

For Adult Children
10 a.m. to 12 noon
Tuesdays

10 to 11:30 a.m.
Wednesdays
inside Silverado Senior Living
335 Saxony Road
Encinitas
(760) 635-1895

RANCHO BERNARDO
Facilitators: Sheila Argeanton & Linda Reynolds
9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
First Thursday of the month
Rancho Bernardo Joslyn Senior Center
(760) 753-1245

'Adult Day Care a Vital Family Service'

Bingo Day at the Glenner Center in Encinitas

North County Times columnist Agnes Herman last week featured the Glenner Alzheimer's Family Centers in an article about the importance of adult day health care for families in San Diego County. Ms. Herman interviewed three adult day care professionals, including Glenner's Sheila Meyer, who manages our Encinitas Center located within the Silverado campus on Saxony Road.

The column does a great job of explaining the role of adult day care centers for those trying to support families while also caring for the elderly ill in their home. These centers allow caregivers to continue to work while knowing their loved one is in good hands.

The all-encompassing care that these centers and others like them offer cannot always be duplicated at home. The [non-profit] Glenner Centers provide meals from Meals-on-Wheels; that is possible at home. But they have much more: consistent care, oversight and activities by professionals, to keep the elder generation active, interested, entertained as well as challenged within each one's abilities.

The piece also stresses the funding threat facing all adult day health care centers throughout California due to state budget cuts. The columnist notes that if the budget ax falls, federal funding also is jeapordized since California may then violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. "The loss of adult day health care will affect more than the individuals and families who enjoy the security the service provides. The economy will change again for those families where one bread-winner now has to stay home."

Article: Adult Day Care is a Vital Family Service

Postcards from Encinitas

Today we continue to feature postcards we created for "Postcards from the Pacific: Oceans of Memories," our annual fundraiser. These showcase beach memories of some of our Glenner Alzheimer's Family Centers participants and were made into posters at the actual event.

Today's post features participants from our n Encinitas center in North County.

If you have trouble reading them, just click on an image and it should enlarge.

Scrabble Spells G-O-O-D T-I-M-E-S

Each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon a group of men and women at the Glenner Center in Encinitas gathers together for a good game of Scrabble. They bring their dictionaries and their good humor as they help one another create common and sometimes colorful words with tiles.

They are both dedicated to the game and to each other. If one of the regulars is absent, the group won't play that day. Newcomers are allowed to join in as space permits and an audience is always appreciated.

When asked why everyone enjoys Scrabble so much, one participant responded nonchalantly, "It does the brain good, honey. You should try it."

She's right. Here are a few online articles we found showing how board games, and Scrabble in particular, is great for Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers.

Board Games for Mental Exercise -- Scrabble and Alzheimer's

Prevent Alzheimer's -- Play Scrabble

Brain Games for Alzheimer's

Art Lessons

Betty (standing) helps another Betty properly hold her drawing pencil.

The Glenner Alzheimer's Family Center in Encinitas recently welcomed Betty Sturdevan into its community. Betty is an accomplished artist whose paintings and sketches hang in homes and offices throughout the world. She grew up in Southern California, attended the Art Center School in Los Angeles and traveled extensively with her husband in the Marine Corps, drawing inspiration for art projects at every place they lived and visited. Eventually, she came home to Encinitas.

Betty prefers to work in watercolors, oils and pastels. Sketches of animals at the San Diego Zoo and paintings of flowers are among her favorite subjects. She says it takes "practice, practice, practice" to learn to draw and paint well.

"I love art because it loosens you up and makes you see things," she said. "You have to look at what you're drawing. You have to think about what you're doing."

Betty now helps our participants use art to express their passions and to help them pay close attention to the colorful world around them. Here are some snapshots from Thursday's art lesson we thought we'd share.

Betty concentrates on drawing an amaryllis plant.
Betty shares sketches done while visiting the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park.

The center's program manager, Elaine, helps Charles, a.k.a. "The Colonel," guess what animal Betty's drawn.

Anna and Betty enjoy their art lesson.


"Agave" by Betty Sturdevan, from her collection at the San Dieguito Art Guild Gallery in Leucadia, CA.

Exercise: It Does a Body (and Mind) Good

Program Aide Cora at our Encinitas Center leads a lively exercise session.

Health care professionals have long known that regular exercise carries many physical, mental and emotional benefits. Researchers continually show us that, among other benefits, exercise helps mitigate and perhaps even alleviate depression. That’s also true of those with Alzheimer’s Disease, where as many of 87% of older AD patients suffer some form of depression, according to Clinical Gerontologist.

At our Glenner Centers in Chula Vista, Hillcrest and Encintas, daily exercise is encouraged through walks around our facilities and chair calisthenics. Researchers at Florida Atlantic University explained in one study why exercise may be so important to AD patients:

There is a great need for non-pharmacological interventions for depression in moderate to late stage AD. These individuals are less able to participate in talking therapies and more at risk for adverse effects of antidepressant medications than are other depressed older adults.

It's important to note that caregivers, too, can help stave off depression and remain physically and mentally healthy through daily exercise as well.