Stuffed Animals Bring Comfort to Dementia Patients

Lexington, KY – (February 22, 2012) In a time where families can often feel helpless in reaching their loved ones a new company, Memorable Pets, has released a line of plush stuffed dogs and cats to bring joy to dementia and Alzheimer’s patients and to serve as a connection point for family members.

The company, started by sisters Bettina Dickson Rusher and Frances Dickson, came to fruition after their mother began her battle with Alzheimer’s.  “Our mother had a real cat which she loved, but once the Alzheimer’s set in she was unable to care for it properly, so we bought her a stuffed cat to keep her company,” Rusher said. “We were amazed at the joy the cat brought her and how attached she became. Before we knew it we were producing animals and handing them out to other patients on her floor.”

Memorable Pets are based off the most popular cat and dog breeds and are lap-sized so they are large enough for adults to hold, flexible so they can be easily carried  and soft so they are soothing. Their eyes appear alert to keep patients engaged and a portion of the proceeds from every Memorable Pet sold goes back to fund Alzheimer’s care and research.

“Several studies have shown that interactions with a stuffed animal increase happiness  and provide a calming effect. They’re also a great way to allow patients, who often have to rely on everyone else for care, to be able to care for something themselves,” Dickson said.

Nurse Sarah Burdine noticed a strong attachment between one of her Alzheimer’s patients and Memorable Pets. “The Memorable Pet helped to calm my patient, especially when she was feeling agitated. Their special bond has been a true gift for the patient and for us to watch,” she said.

Aside from soothing the patient, Memorable Pets also provide a connection point for young children and their grandparents who may be suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s. When both the child and grandparent have a similar stuffed animal it gives them something to talk about that is familiar creating a special bond.

The company’s goal is to gain non-profit status for their Pets to People program which allows individuals, organizations and corporate sponsors to purchase a Memorable Pet for someone unknown to them. To participate in the Pets to People program or to order a Memorable Pet, which retails at $29.99 including shipping , visit  www.memorablepets.com.

About Memorable Pets: Memorable Pets was created by two sisters who are passionate about making a difference in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. After losing their mother Betty Dickson, who deeply loved her Memorable Pet and held it in her arms when she died from Alzheimer’s disease, the sisters founded the company. Their goals are to provide therapeutic, realistic pets to help enhance the lives of people with Alzheimer’s or dementia, educate and raise awareness and money for Alzheimer’s care and research,  and honor their mother’s legacy. More information at www.memorablepets.com.

by Shelley Webb and Tonia Boterf

Tonia Boterf is a licensed clinical social worker.  Several of her e-books (and her brand new print book) can be found on our website under products.

So what can we do to communicate our love to a person who may not even remember who we are?

The answer may be to look at ways in which they expressed their love to us.

When you failed a test at school, or your friends “left without you” or you were not feeling well, what did your Mom or Dad do to make you feel better?  I remember that when I had a cold, my Mom would always rub Vick’s Vapo Rub on my chest.  I hated the smell and the stickiness but never-the-less, it showed me that she cared. 

Once when my 2 best friends were playing the “Three’s a Crowd” game, my father, who was handy with woodwork, made me a skateboard.  He never said a word about flaunting it in front of my friends; he just asked me to “try it out”.  And before long, my two best friends came running over for a chance at a turn to ride on it.

When you were not at your best, what kinds of things did your parents do to express their love to you?

I posed the question on Facebook and Twitter and here are some of the responses that I received:

• caring words
• opening the windows
• let me stay home from school
• kisses on the forehead
• brought me “magic toys” from the drugstore
• asking “you alright?”
• sang to me
• let me eat in my bedroom which was otherwise forbidden
• put Vick’s Vapo Rub on my chest with heated towel on top
• brought me a stuffed animal
• took us bowling
• stroked forehead
• light touches on shoulder, hand or knee
• brought me soup (potato, chicken noodle), 7-Up, Ginger Ale, popsicles
• just sat quietly close by
• hand-written notes in lunch boxes
• brought me ice cream when I had a sore throat

My theory is that if you examine the things that your aging parent did to show you love, you could use these same things to show them YOUR love.  The actions will be familiar and comfortable to them and should evoke the same loving feelings that they felt towards you when they intiated the actions themselves. 

Give it a try and let me know if it works for you.

Media at the scene where a 66 year old woman wandered and froze to death. Credit: Fernando Morales/The Globe and Mail

Last night, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, a 66 year woman who had been suffering from dementia froze to death because she wandered from her home and was not found in time.

I recently learned of some starting statistics concerning the spending practices of those living in  America.  I’m not picking on America here; these are just the statistics to which I have access.  And, for the rest of this article, I’m going to refer as Americans, anyone who is living in the United States.

First let me say that America, by a huge percentage, is the biggest provider of monetary support and food and relief efforts to the world.  We should be proud of that.  I love America and am very grateful to live here.

There are some things we could change.

Did you know that:

• The United States is only 4.5% of the world’s population and yet we consume 20% of its resources
• Less than 6% of the world’s population owns a car (how many do you have?)
• We spend 40 BILLION dollars a year on WEIGHT LOSS products
•                      45.5 BILLION dollars a year on pets and their products
•                      31 BILLION dollars a year on ice cream
•                      45 BILLION dollars a year on tabacco and alcohol products
•                      WE SPENT 1.2 billion DOLLARS IN THE LAST 3 MONTHS ON ADVERTISING FOR THE ELECTION!
•                     and then…… 500 million dollars a year on Alzheimer’s research (NOT billion)

The World Health Organization estimates that it would take 20 billion dollars a year to provide food and potable water to all fo the world’s children.

It would take even less to provide some respite care for caregivers so that the 40% who die BEFORE the person for whom they are caring, might last a while longer.

Any thoughts?

This is a press release that I received today and wanted to share.  It is centered around those diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment AND their caregivers.

WSU Awarded Alzheimer’s Association Grant to Test New Intervention
Source Contacts:
Maureen Schmitter-Edgecombe, WSU College of Liberal Arts, 509-335-0170, schmitter-e@wsu.edu; 
Dennis Dyck, WSU Spokane, 509-358-7618, dyck@wsu.edu;
Joel Loiacono, Alzheimer’s Association – Inland Northwest Chapter, 509-473-3390, joel.loiacono@alz.org

Media Contact:
Judith Van Dongen, WSU Spokane, 509-358-7524, jcvd@wsu.edu

PULLMAN, WASH. – Researchers at Washington State University have received a $320,000 grant from the Alzheimer’s Association to test a novel intervention for the treatment of individuals with mild cognitive impairment, a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
 
This three-year early intervention study will be the first to examine the effectiveness of a new treatment method that integrates two existing interventions: One is a cognitive rehabilitation method that was built in part on the work of WSU professor of psychology Maureen Schmitter-Edgecombe, the principal investigator of this study. The other is a therapy named multi-family group treatment, which was originally developed to treat schizophrenia.
Co-principal investigator and WSU professor of psychology in neurosciences Dennis Dyck successfully adapted this family-based treatment for patients with traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury, and has been working with researchers from the Veterans Affairs Health Care System to adapt it for traumatic brain injury in returning veterans, specifically. The goal of the new intervention is to identify ways to keep people functioning independently for longer, decrease caregiver burden, and increase social support networks for both patients and family.
 
“We don’t have any proven pharmacological interventions right now,” said Schmitter-Edgecombe, “and there’s not a whole lot out there in terms of education or support for individuals and their families when people do get diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. So we’re hoping that we will be developing something that can be used to help patients and their family members cope and compensate.”
 
Using a randomized controlled study design, the study will look at 40 patient-caregiver “teams,” or dyads, half of whom will be included in the intervention. The other half will serve as controls, receiving standard care from their personal physicians and getting tested at the same intervals as the intervention group.
The intervention consists of 10 weeks of twice weekly sessions in multi-family groups of five to seven dyads, led by two clinicians. Sessions alternate between those aimed at teaching cognitive skills and memory strategies, such as the use of a memory notebook to record past actions and plan future ones, and those focused on the problem-solving activities and socialization that are central to the multi-group family treatment method.
 
“Working with both patient and caregiver is key,” said Dyck. “There’s a lot of information that a clinician normally doesn’t get that can be obtained by including the spouse or caregiver. “ He also noted that this team approach helps strengthen the mutual understanding of the difficulties being faced.
 
The researchers are looking to run intervention groups in Spokane and Pullman, and potentially also in Lewiston, Idaho, starting in late spring or early summer of next year. Study participants will be recruited through multiple methods, including referrals by study collaborator Dr. David Greeley, a neurologist with Northwest Neurological.  WSU research associate Diane Norell will train and supervise the clinicians who will be conducting the groups.
 
Cognitive testing will be done both prior to and following the intervention to determine its effectiveness.
“What we’re hoping to see is that patients use the memory techniques and strategies they have been taught and that they will report fewer everyday memory lapses as a result,” Schmitter-Edgecombe said. Other anticipated outcomes include less reported distress and enhanced quality of life for both members of the dyad, as well as a strengthening of their relationship.
 
Individuals interested in participating in this intervention study may call (509) 335-4033, extension 1, for additional information. Eligible individuals must be 50 years or older; be experiencing mild memory problems (to be verified through screening); be able to participate in psychometric testing and groups; and have a spouse or another family member or friend willing to participate. There is no cost to participate, and each dyad will receive an honorarium.
About the Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research. Its mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. For more information, visit www.alz.org. You can contact your local Chapter at 509-473-3390.
Related Links:
Washington State University
Alzheimer’s Association, Inland Northwest Chapter
“Maureen Schmitter-Edgecombe’s work to help people with memory loss” – Washington State Magazine, Spring 2009
“Research Brings Hope to Injured Veterans” – WSU Spokane Campus Bulletin, May 14, 2008

Today is World Alzheimer’s Day – a day to bring attention to the world about this dreaded disease that still has no cure.  It is estimated that by the year 2030, the number of people with dementia will double and that by 2050, it will TRIPLE.

 Dementia costs the world $604 billion a year. That’s  1% of the global GDP according to new statistics… http://bit.ly/arDwVa

I’ll be walking at Maria’s event in Long Beach, California in honor of my father.  If you’d like to walk on my team or to donate to the cause, you may do so here.

And thanks so much!

It wasn’t until I began looking at them as a means of respite care placement for my father that I learned of their costs.  In my father’s case, the daily respite cost was $220 but the monthly cost would have been over $5000.00 for a semi-private room.  This rate did not include medications or transportation to medical appointments. (Rates seem to vary between $4000.00 and $7500.00 per month depending upon the residence.)   None of these facilities accepted Medi-Care and private insurances don’t cover such things.  A couple of them stated that if a person were 2 guarantee private payment for 3 years, then they would not “evict” the resident once their money was gone.  At that time, they would then accept Medicaid reimbursement. 

Recently I have read several articles about assisted living facilities being available mostly in areas of higher income.  In areas of lower income, rural areas and in areas where minorities live (and all 3 of these are equivalent to areas of lower mean income), there are less available assisted living facilities.

In a study at Brown University, a conclusion was made that hispanics would be more likely to use nursing homes than assisted living facilities because they at more likely to be at the lower end of the socio economic scale and did not have the money.  Because of lack of money, they were more likely to be placed in nursing homes with less than desirable facilities, receiving less than adequate care which sent them back to the hospital and began a downward spiral.

I think that another reason that there are fewer assisted living facilities in areas where hispanics live is that their culture has the tradition of elder care being handled by the adult children of the family in a home setting.  My best friend’s mother took care of both her mother and aunt in her home until she was physically unable to do so anymore.

Assisted living facilities vary tremendously; they can contain a myriad of amenities and consist of private apartments with a nurse on duty 24 hours a day or at the other end of the spectrum, they can be closer to a nursing home environment with semi-private areas that consist of 2 beds in a room with a television set.

Assisted living homes are not the right choice for everyone.  Unless a facility has a special unit  (and many are opting to include these), dementia patients should not be placed there.  Sometimes patients have medical conditions that are too complicated for this type of living arrangement, as well.

Nursing homes don’t have much variation.  In MY words, they are simply sad places where lonely people live out their final days. 

In between, there are skilled nursing facilities, but in most instances, these are temporary placements until the “patient” can either be returned home or to a more permanent placement in a different facility.

I’m concerned about what will happen when the aging population runs out of money to pay for these expensive assisted living homes.  At between $ 50,000 and $90,000 per year, who will be able to live there long?  Our elders were a little more prepared but I don’t believe that the baby boomer generation has prepared themselves well enough to be able to cover even a year of living there.  And now that many boomers are upside down on their mortgages, selling their home won’t help to pay for that care.  Not many of us have long term care insurance either. (And in reality, how can long term care insurance continue to exist when almost ALL of us will need it at some point?)

I also think that with health reform, more families are going to be responsible for the care of their elders.  Hospitals will discharge elder patients sooner and before they are able to care for themselves.  This is happening even now !  I literally had to beg that my father be admitted to help remove the 12 pounds of fluid that had accumulated in his legs due to congestive heart failure.  Sure…..they’ll put a defibrillator in an 86 year old man with dementia (because insurance will pay for THAT)  but when it comes to managing the care of that man post procedure, they’ll leave it to the family.   (And they won’t discuss end-of-life care…but that’s a whole other issue.)

Already, a big portion (17% of employees in south Florida, according to a recent study)* are having to leave the work force in order to care for their aging loved ones and another 15% have cut their hours. 

During the past year, as we have experienced a financial crisis, more family members are gathering together under one roof in order to make ends meet.  Do you think that we will return to the days of Leave it to Beaver and Father Knows Best where Moms become the caregivers for the family while Dads return to providing the financial contribution?

Some of the best “heart healthy” foods are fatty fish such as samon, herring, lake trout and anchovies.  These fatty fish contain omega-3 fatty acids which are good for preventing and fighting heart disease,  maintaining a low blood pressure, helping to prevent dementia, increasing immunities and easing arthritis.  They are also high in protein and lower in calories.  But recently, many people have stopped eating fish because of concerns about mercury and other toxins.  Just how safe is it to eat fish?

Well, according to Newsweek magazine, two new studies bring a positive answer to that question.  Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and the National Academy of Sciences have both arrived at the same conclusion. The benefits  from eating fish outweigh the risks from the small amounts of mercury and other toxins that can be found in them.

One thing to note is that the levels of mercury vary from species to species.  The larger the fish, the larger amount of contaminants it might contain.  This is because the larger fish are higher on the food chain and have eaten the smaller fish who already have traces of mercury in them.  (Unfortunately, industrial pollution is to blame for most of the mercury that is contaminating the fish.)  So your best bet is to eat smaller fish such as salmon, anchovies, cod, flounder, and pollack (the fish that is usually used to make “faux crabmeat”) and shellfish such as scallops.

Also, try to eat fish that are from the wild as opposed to being farm-raised. 

An interesting side note (per AARP’s interview with Donald Hensrud, M.D., a nutritional specialist with the Mayo Clinic) is that older persons, whose brains and nervous systems are fully developed, can tolerate higher amounts of mercury than children. Of course, pregnant women should also be careful not to eat fish with the potential for high mercury levels. 

For a list of Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, go here: http://tinyurl.com/m7uhzb

The American Heart Association recommends consuming at least two servings of fish (especially those that contain omega-3 fatty acids) per week.  To keep the meal low in saturated fats, avoid frying them or adding rich buttery sauces.