Diane

It’s All In The Words

August 6, 2017 by Diane Leave a Comment

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A couple of people have commented on my use of the words “nursing home” and “resident” on my blog. I appreciate this feedback because I gave a lot of thought to the words I should use as I was developing my blog.

These are some of the words I considered to describe a nursing home:

Long-term care facility: This doesn’t seem quite right since nowadays it’s common to go to a nursing home for short-term rehab.
Senior living facility: Many of the people who live at a nursing home aren’t seniors. One nursing home in my state even cared for a baby at one time.
Retirement community: Most people don’t move to a nursing home when they retire.
Rest home: I hope the residents are doing a lot more than just resting!

What Is A CPR Party?

August 4, 2017 by Diane 4 Comments

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We’ve all been invited to product parties. There’s Pampered Chef, Tupperware, Thirty-One, and Tastefully Simple—just to name a few. But has someone ever invited you to a CPR party? A mom in Maryland created the concept of these parties. CPR saved her 3-year-old son’s life after he nearly drowned.

If you come upon someone who is in cardiac arrest, will you know what to do? Any of us can suddenly find ourselves in this situation and help save a life. Check out these sobering statistics from the American Heart Association:

70% of Americans either never learned CPR or have forgotten how to do it.
Only 32% of cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR.
Immediate bystander CPR can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.

[Read more…] about What Is A CPR Party?

9 Tips To Create An Amazing Talent Show

August 1, 2017 by Diane 2 Comments

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nursing home talent show

A few years ago we put together a talent show at our nursing home. It was so much fun, and the amount of hidden talent within our walls surprised everyone!

There was a huge variety of talent, too. Four nurses sang a quarter. One resident told jokes and another resident played the piano. A CNA twirled a baton, and an employee’s daughter performed a dance solo.

Although we held our talent show purely for fun, I believe it can also be an excellent fundraiser. Check out these tips to make your talent show a success:

Recruit an enthusiastic MC to share a little blurb about each participant and keep the talent show running smoothly.

Start and end with your best acts.

Start on time and don’t let the program run too long. We found 60-90 minutes was about right.

Dementia Friendly Communities

July 30, 2017 by Diane Leave a Comment

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dementia friendly communities

Earlier this summer I stopped by my bank to cash a check. As soon as I entered the lobby I heard an elderly man shouting at a cashier. “This bank is a bunch of crooks,” he yelled, demanding that the cashier give him all of his money and close the account. A petite woman, who I assumed was his wife, stood beside the man looking frustrated and embarrassed. I quickly realized this was a man living with some form of dementia.

As I stood there wondering if there was something I could do to help, a woman approached from a nearby office. That’s when I had the opportunity to witness a textbook-perfect example of how to communicate with a person living with dementia. With grace and patience, she reassured and redirected the man. Within a few minutes, he was calmly sitting in her office enjoying a cup of coffee and a cookie.

How Old Is Too Old For Romance?

July 27, 2017 by Diane Leave a Comment

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One day when my son was in middle school, he came home with an unusual assignment. He was to ask his parents to write a brief essay defining mature love. Having recently gone through a painful divorce, I certainly didn’t feel like an expert on love. This was going to be a tough assignment.

But as I pondered the definition of mature love, I realized I had a whole trove of experts right down the street at the nursing home where I worked as a nurse. There I found couples who still adored each other even if their appearance was no longer beautiful by society’s standards. Couples that chose to stick together in spite of a lifetime of challenges that pulled other people apart. Couples who remained best friends over many decades. Couples who still loved to spend time together just like the ones you’re about to see in this video.

Diane

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links.

These are some of the words I considered to describe a nursing home:

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links.

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links.

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. Thank you for your support.

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links.

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