My Friend Marylyn the Card Lady
My friend Marylyn in Australia is doing something really cool, and I just had to share it with you. She has worked quite a bit with seniors who have dementia, and recently passed her exam to become a PCA (Personal Care Assistant) in Aged Care. She’s doing some amazing things, including teaching them to make cards and other paper crafts. Well, I think Marylyn explains it best so I’m going to share with you what she told me about the projects and the ladies she works with:
“They are kept fairly simple so they can manage, as I find they can become frustrated and even agitated if things are too difficult–some need a lot of assistance. The round cards are ones we have made regularly using different pictures–they love this design and love making them; as you can see by some of these photos, they enjoy the interaction so much. Their personal achievement is unbelievable. Now that I am also a staff member, it is beautiful to wake them up in the morning and have their faces light up and say “you're the card lady!!!”–where with others it becomes a confusing issue, but I now know how to work around that....
As you will see by several of the photos I have sent to you, just the look/laughter on their faces is worth every second you put into doing something special for them. (Some of these sweeties are early dementia but the pleasure and happiness in their faces is worth more than a thousand words!!!)”
How great is that? Marylyn, thanks for the inspiration!
PS. I’ve posted up a digital page showing some photos from Sinterklaas’ visit to Amsterdam. Keith and I went to the pier to see him sail into town—along with everyone in Amsterdam under the age of six!
