Brain Fitness Ideas for Caregivers

Dr. Howard's Day-by-Day Brain Workout
from Pierce J. Howard, PhD at the Center for Applied Cognitive Studies

Try this brain-fitness regimen...

• Sunday: Create something in an artistic medium that you’ve never tried (such as painting with watercolors or sculpting clay)... repair or clean something that you have neglected (such as reorganizing messy files).
• Monday: Switch left-pocket contents to the right pocket... contact a high school or college friend with whom you haven’t communicated since then (or for years).
• Tuesday: Write a love poem or note to your partner, child or friend... plant something (such as orchids) that you’ve never tried to grow before.
• Wednesday: Tackle a word or number game that you do not usually do... write a thank-you note to someone who has meant a great deal to you.
• Thursday: Listen closely to music by a composer whose work you’ve never listened to and identify what you like and don’t like about the piece... or begin learning a new language.
• Friday: Write a letter to an editor or blogger about an issue that you feel strongly about... begin constructing a model of an airplane, a house or another object that you’ve never built.
• Saturday: Learn the words to a poem or song and recite and/or perform the piece at least three times for yourself and/or others... learn to do something new in a computer software program you use regularly (such as organizing messages into folders in your e-mail program).

Wednesday Burger Night for Two

Gordon still enjoys mealtimes and so I like to put out some degree of effort to make them special.

Take some 85% ground beef, season with salt and pepper and Worcestershire sauce and gently form 2 thick patties. Now take 2 chunks of a good blue cheese and bury them in the middle of the burgers. Fry them up to your desired doneness.

We served them with shredded Romaine lettuce, poppy seed dressing, and blue cheese chunks and macaroni salad from the deli. Added a side dish of maple baked beans. Beverage was a glass of red wine and for dessert – German chocolate cup cakes with vanilla frosting.

It was a delicious, quick and easy meal for two.

Buttons and Bows

I encourage Gordon to select his own clothes, but make it easier by simplifying the number of choices. For example, offer two outfits to choose between, asking if he wants to wear a short sleeve shirt or a long sleeve. Some days he'll manage to get his pants on backwards and inside out - don't think I could manage that !
Choose washable, no ironing, comfortably loose clothing with solid colors or simple patterns. Gordon loves to wear cowboy shirts. Buttons, snaps, belt buckles and hooks are very difficult for him to manage. Pullover shirts (even if sometimes worn backwards) are easier. Elastic waistbands are great as are slip on or velcroed footwear.
Be sure to give out a compliment from time to time - "You look very handsome this morning".
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Medicare coverage for Alzheimer's disease

In the past, Medicare automatically denied coverage for certain medical services for people with Alzheimer's on the grounds that treatment wouldn't yield any improvement. Typically, these services were covered for other Medicare beneficiaries, but not those with Alzheimer's or another dementia. This situation changed in 2001. Now, people with Alzheimer's disease who are eligible for Medicare can be reimbursed for many services, including mental health care, occupational or physical therapy, speech therapy, and some home health care.

The policy change underscores that individuals with Alzheimer's disease can benefit significantly from these therapies. Many advocates believe that the coverage may enable people to live at home longer. For example, occupational therapy may improve a person's ability to dress or bathe himself, while physical therapy may steady a wobbly gait. Now, families who are interested in pursuing these services for a patient might not have to shoulder all the costs.

To find out more about Medicare coverage, call the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at 877-267-2323 (toll free) or go online.
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