Having Conversations With Dementia Patients

     Page Two Hundred Seventy-Four.
     Some old work supplies were recently returned to me by a friend who borrowed them a couple of years ago. She's a college instructor who used them to show her art therapy classes different ways to interact and have meaningful conversations with people with moderate to severe dementia from Alzheimer's or any other memory impairment. These books were assembled by me for me when I was in charge of activities for two dementia units in a nearby nursing home.     
     One of the books is nothing but photos of people, places and things which people born prior to 1940 or so would be able to relate to. The worlds of entertainment, politics, sports and current events are all included. I copied the pictures from history books and then assembled them in a binder and used it over and over again for the years that I was on that job. Just showing people the pictures conjured up old, buried memories and subsequently, conversations began. I'd strongly recommend any care-giver to a demented loved one consider creating a similar book. It can help provide hours of stimulating conversation. Of course, it helps if the care-giver has done a little research on the various topics so as to prod the conversation along. 
     These photos are an example of ones in my book. Admittedly, I'm a grand risk-taker. Not all of these pictures would be appropriate for all audiences, but in my racially and religiously integrated nursing home, I used photos quite similar to these with great effect. You know your loved one, I don't. But, you'll be surprised what gets the juices going.

The Ten Commandments - A Movie Review

     Page Two Hundred-Eighteen.

     'Tis the season to view good 'ole Charlton Heston and mean 'ole Yul Brynner duking it out for the fate of the Hebrews. I'm in the middle of watching The Ten Commandments like I do almost every year at this time. It's fatefully inaccurate to the Torah but who cares? That flick never ceases to amaze me with it's over the top melodrama and baroque scenes. It's just a hoot. Will somebody please explain to me the meaning of Chuck's sideways ponytail? This classic definitely rates an 8/10.

 

A Community Passover Seder At A Church?

     Page Fifty-Five.
     I'm getting this blog up late. Please forgive me, I've been tired lately. A couple of nights ago I had 260 people for dinner and it wore me out, but I'm feeling better now, so here we go. I'm sure that whenever you have 260 people for dinner it tires you a touch. How do you handle it? I'll take suggestions. The fact is, I got in over my head a bit.
     I'm very friendly with the senior minister of one of our very large churches here in Cleveland Heights, Church of the Saviour. This church is United Methodist and it's a very grand, beautiful, 1920's, French Gothic cathedral. They added an addition in 2007, so it really is massive now. It's a large, thriving congregation with five different services every Sunday. Probably a couple thousand people are members as 500-600 show up regularly each Sunday.
     About ten years ago I began conducting "community Passover Seders" at a church on Cleveland's West Side and I did that for three years in a row. My Seders were instructional and with all the food. (The "Seder" is the ceremonial dinner and formal retelling of the Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt. The Seder takes place on the first two nights of Passover.) So in essence, my community Seders were a complete meal with a "Passover 101" lecture before, during and after eating. They were well received but not large. The first one was maybe 70 people with each of the following two under 50. I've been in the mood to do a Seder again during the last couple of years and the timing must've been right 'cause I approached my friend, Church of the Saviour's senior minister, a few months ago about doing one at his place and he was all for it.
     I just wasn't expecting 260 people to show up. Thankfully, the church has many wonderful volunteers and they even got a volunteer coordinator to oversee everything. There are also two fantastic kitchens, each one worthy of being in a white tablecloth restaurant. But everyday the office manager told me that the RSVP list had grown exponentially overnight. It was crazy. So there I am, trying to write a Haggadah (the booklet with the story of Passover) so that it's accessible to Christians, while planning an elaborate meal, while planning my oral presentation.
     It goes without saying that the reason Christians want to attend a Seder is that it was Jesus' last meal, but there, I said it anyhow. That link is a very valuable and vital association between the two religions; it's a relationship which cannot be overstated. Also, everybody has seen Charlton Heston and The Ten Commandments so everybody is sort of familiar with the story. Subsequently, many Christians want to experience a Passover Seder in real life. I'm glad to do it. The more people know about different religions, cultures and races, the more people are exposed to others who think or act differently, then the less people will exhibit bigotry, fear and hatred. This isn't rocket science.
     So... anyhow, I've been tired the last few days. But I am slowly feeling stronger. But, I think that the next time I have 260 people for dinner I'm going to get McDonald's.