I’ve written about baby dolls before, but I often get reminded of the amazing impact they have in our residents’ lives. They really do make our residents happy. The other day I was walking down the hall and spotted three of my residents, sitting nearby each other, cuddling their baby dolls. They were all ofContinue reading “Dementia Care & Babies”
Tag Archives: baby
Don’t Cry in Front of the Baby
Sandra was known for sundowning. Most days, Sandra would start crying around 3 PM. “Sundowning” is a common phenomenon for people with dementia. Essentially, it means that people will become more agitated, upset, and irritable later in the day—usually because they are tired. “He’s no good!” she cried out. “He’s a no-good, son-of-a-bitch!” she sobbed. “Sandra,Continue reading “Don’t Cry in Front of the Baby”
You’re Putting A Baby In Here?
We hadn’t even finished setting up the new Baby Station when two residents walked in. Marilyn, pushing her walker, let out a cry of happiness. “Look at this BABY!” she yelled, looking into the crib we had just purchased from Toys ‘R Us. I reached in and took out the doll, handing it to Marilyn asContinue reading “You’re Putting A Baby In Here?”
Is This For Me?
I handed Helen one of the stuffed dogs from our new Pet Shop area. I knew how much she enjoyed the baby dolls we had, so I hoped that she would also like the dogs. “Ohh,” she cried with delight, opening her arms to accept the stuffed dog. “Is this dog for me? Can IContinue reading “Is This For Me?”
A Marriage.
A lot of people fear that their spouse or life partner will get dementia. Many people are already coping with it. It’s incredibly hard to watch someone you love struggle with cognitive decline. But what if you both had dementia? Martin* and Joyce* have been married for over fifty years. They both have dementia, butContinue reading “A Marriage.”
Shh, he’s sleeping.
We have a couple residents who don’t speak much, if at all. We also have a “baby station” that is set up to look like part of a nursery. A couple of us worked to relocate the station to an area where more residents would interact with it, and we have had a lot ofContinue reading “Shh, he’s sleeping.”