Scrapbooks for Alzheimer’s
Caregivers for Alzheimer’s patients can learn how to scrapbook to preserve memories at a weekend workshop.
BY MICHELLE HAMMONTREE-GARCIA
mhammontree@MiamiHerald.com
Alzheimer’s disease can wipe memories as simple as the location of a family home’s bathroom to how to take medication, or even eat.
As the disease progresses, most times the affected need the help of a caregiver to get them through the day.
‘’Being a caregiver is a full-time job with overtime. It is like taking care of a toddler,'’ Angela Aracena, the Easter Seals South Florida program director of adult day services, said. “A person with Alzheimer’s is completely dependent.'’
To help caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients preserve memories and cope with the daily challenges of their role, Easter Seals South Florida will host ‘’Memories to Treasure,'’ a free scrapbooking workshop, from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Easter Seals South Florida, 1475 NW 14th Ave.
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. It gradually destroys memories, and as the disease progresses, it attacks the brain. Believed to be underdiagnosed, it affects an estimated 200,000 people in Miami-Dade, said Dr. Jorge L. Marcos, a geriatric neurologist who will speak at the event.
The free, two-hour workshop is tailored to help caregivers connect with their loved ones by preserving family memories through scrapbooking, and to educate them about their role as a caregiver.
Scrapbooking can help stimulate mental activity, decrease isolation, encourage interaction between people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers, and give people with the disease a sense of achievement that can reduce the feeling that they are a burden, Marcos said.
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn how to scrapbook with a person who has Alzheimer’s. Each person will receive a free scrapbook starter kit, which includes a scrapbook album with design material, a step-by-step instructional guide, a ‘’Memories to Treasure'’ caregiver brochure, and information about Alzheimer’s treatments and medication.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/miami-dade/cities_neighborhoods/pinecrest/16173384.htm