Don't go it alone. New sessions are now open for the Memory Café. The Memory Café is a wonderfully welcoming, judgment-free zone for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or any other form of dementia or brain disorder. These social gatherings allow people experiencing...
5 Quick Tips to Handle the Holidays!
My caregiving journey is challenging, but I do not journey alone, and my best is enough. Family Caregiver Holidays can be wonderful. And, holidays can be stressful – especially if you are a caregiver. Here are five quick tips to help you manage the season. 1. Plan any...
Planning for Transitions on the Caregiver Path
The path of caregiving is fraught with twists and turns and ups and downs and most often, unique in and of itself. That path can be challenging in its navigation. John Gormley of Salem officially stepped onto the path of caregiving for his wife Collette 5 plus years...
The Walsh Family – Standing Up to Alzheimer’s Together
The path of caregiving is fraught with twists and turns and ups and downs and most often, unique in and of itself. That path can be challenging in its navigation. Brendan and Kay Walsh of Salem are facing the uncertainty of their path ahead but they are facing it...
This Magic Moment Memory Cafe – Enjoying the Holidays Together
The Family Caregiver Support Program at Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley has collaborated with the Newburyport Council on Aging (COA) to present “This Magic Moment Memory Café, Enjoying the Holidays Together”. We would like to invite you and your loved one to...
Yoga, Alzheimer’s, and Caregiving
A 2014 study, The Effect of Chair Yoga in Older Adults with Moderate and Severe Alzheimer’s Disease, published in Research in Gerontological Nursing, was recently a focus of a Yoga U article, Yoga May Aid in Treatment of Stroke, MS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and More,...
PlumFest
Plum Island has attracted artsy crowds for decades; poets, musicians, painters and writers, all looking to be inspired by the island’s beauty and tranquility. So, when two musically motivated residents were looking to bring a sense of unity and fellowship to this...
Food For Thought
Peggy Knickerbocker’s article, Brain Food, Cooking Light, November 2016, focuses on the effect of food on brain health and highlights Hunter Lewis’ statement that “there’s hope in taking charge”. The article focuses on award-winning food writer Paula Wolfert, who...
Something about the Savvy?
So you may have heard about a new training being offered in Massachusetts called The Savvy Caregiver. The Healthy Living Center of Excellence located at Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley is facilitating and coordinating all of the Savvy Caregiver Trainings along...
Dementia vs Alzheimer’s
Many times caregivers are told by a primary care doctor that the loved one they care for has dementia and it is not Alzheimer’s. Dementia as a diagnosis is really not a complete diagnosis. Additionally many PCP’s are often still reluctant to refer a person who has...