Maple Crest Manor
and Assisted Living is a long term care facility in Fayette, IA, that cares for
many different types of people with many different needs. Maple Crest not only
offers support and care for its residents, but it also offers support and assistance
for the families of the residents. Maple Crest provides care for many types of
residents, including those that suffer from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Dementia is a term that describes a wide range
of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other skills involving
thinking that are severe enough to reduce a person's ability to perform
everyday activities (Alzheimer's Association, 2014). These activities can
involve paying bills, taking medication, and eating meals. There can be many
forms of dementia. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia and accounts
for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases. Alzheimer’s causes problems with
memory, thinking, and behavior. Alzheimer’s affects many people ages 65 and up,
and it continues to get worse over time. In beginning and mild cases, one may
have slight memory loss that causes them to have difficulty remembering newly
learned information, and as it advances symptoms become severe including
disorientation, mood and behavior changes, and the inability to carry on
conversations or respond to their environment (Alzheimer's Association, 2014).
Dementia and
Alzheimer’s not only affects the one being diagnosed, but the ones close to
that person as well. Many seek out the support of others who understand what
they are going through, and through support groups, can learn strategies on coping
and even learn possible solutions to help their loved ones (Alzheimer’s
Association, 2014). One of the support
groups that Maple Crest offers is “Pearls of Hope.” “Pearls of Hope” is an
Alzheimer's and dementia support group for anyone with loved ones who are
suffering from these diseases. This group meets the second Tuesday of each
month from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Maple Crest. This support group covers many topics
related to dementia and Alzheimer’s, and has a guest speaker on each topic each
month.
Another program
Maple Crest is involved with is Christmas Stories. This is a program that is in
collaboration with Upper Iowa University. Upper Iowa students came and interviewed
many of the residents at Maple Crest about their most memorable Christmas
Stories. This program is a chance to promote memory activities to keep
residents healthy.
This program
specifically triggers their autobiographical memory, which is a form of long
term memory. Autobiographical memory is when one remembers information and
events from our lives (Cavanaugh & Blanchard-Fields, 2010). These
memories give a person identity and provide personal history. Autobiographical
memory involves episodic and semantic memory. Episodic memory is the
recollection of information from a specific event or point in time, and
semantic memory is knowledge and facts of one’s past (Cavanaugh &
Blanchard-Fields, 2010).
Examples of many
of the residents’ stories can be found below. Notice how the stories involve
many parts of the autobiographical memory.
Mildred’s Most Memorable Christmas
Mildred remembers a Christmas in the 1920’s,
when she wanted a sled. Her uncle lived with her family at the time and was
helping with the farm. Her uncle told her if she wanted a sled she would have
to write a letter to Santa. Mildred was at the age she wasn’t sure if there was a
Santa, but decided it was worth a try to write a letter. On Christmas Eve, she checked under the tree on her way to
church and there wasn’t any sign of a sled. Then, the next morning on Christmas
there it was! A Flexible Flyer! A few years later she learned it was her uncle
who has purchased the sled. He paid $6.25 for it.
Helen’s Most Memorable Christmas
When
asked to tell us her favorite Christmas memories, Helen smiled and sat back to
reminisce. One of her fondest memories is from when she was eight years old.
She moved to a ranch during her second semester of school to live with her
grandparents. She remembers Christmas morning when she tried to wake up the
entire family. Once she got everyone roused from their beds, she convinced them
it was time to open presents. She received a wrist watch and a doll that year.
She loved the gift and knew that having a wrist watch in the third grade was a
big accomplishment; it even had a leather strap. This was during the great
depression so even the smallest gifts were treasured, and you took great pride
in the things you owned.
Onalee’s Most Memorable Christmas
At
the age of three, Onalee wanted a pony more than anything. Little did she know
that she was about to get what she wished for. It was the Christmas before she
would turn four in January. On Christmas Day, her father carried in a little
Shetland pony and put him under the tree. It didn’t take long for Onalee to
fall in love and name the pony Buster. She remembers her friend Jean coming
over and wanting to ride Buster. When Onalee said yes, Jean jumped on and
Buster took off toward the shed where the kept him, not listening to anyone’s
commands. Onalee’s three brothers always had a good laugh because Onalee and
Buster were two of a kind; ornery as heck and didn’t listen to anybody.
B.J. & Louie’s Most Memorable Christmas
B.J.
and Louie’s favorite Christmas memories are of when they lived in Scottsdale,
Arizona with their daughter, Melle. They would have a small Christmas with the
family. Their most memorable Christmas involved going to yard sales and buying
up goodies for little Mexican girls. They would load it up in the van and drive
down to Mexico. Once they were there, Louie would dress up as Santa Clause and
give each girl a present. The girls loved seeing Louie and B.J., but B.J. and
Louie loved seeing them light up just as much.
Bob’s Most Memorable Christmas
Bob’s
favorite memory about Christmas is the year his dad got a second hand bike and
fixed it up. He painted it, and it looked just like new. He had to share with
four brothers, but man was it a great bike. They found out it didn’t have
breaks, but his dad was able to fix that in a hurry. Bob also remembers the
snowball fights with his brothers. It was all fun and games until someone got
hurt, then it was dad’s turn to throw and he was a ball player, so look out!
Bob
loves all the holidays during the season, everything from Halloween to New
Year’s. He remembers going out to the timber on the farm and cutting down a
scrappy looking cedar tree, but they worked just as well as evergreens. They
never had much money, but they always managed to buy gifts for the kids.
Mardell’s Most Memorable Christmas
Mardell’s
favorite Christmas memory is when her brothers played Santa. She had a big
family and the boys would take turns. They would dress up and come walking from
over the hill, towards the farm. She looked forward to seeing Santa each year.
It wasn’t until she was older that she found out it was her brothers and not
the real Santa.
Rhoda’s Most Memorable Christmas
Rhoda
remembers always having lots of lovely Christmases! She loved decorating the
house, and she always put up the tree. She remembers with all the kids that
there were always lots and lots of new toys. She also remembers once the
presents were opened the kids couldn’t wait to go outside and play in the snow.
Maple Crest Manor and
Assisted Living is truly and positively promoting the health of their
residents. These programs are only two of the many programs Maple Crest offers
its residents, families, and communities. By offering these types of programs
they are not only helping the residents by giving them the best possible care
and helping them stay healthy, but they are also promoting family and community
involvement and support.
References
Alzheimer's
Association.
(2014). Overview. Retrieved from http://www.alz.org/
alzheimers_disease_1973.asp
Cavanaugh, J. C. &
Blanchard-Fields, F. (2010). Adult development and aging. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth.
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