SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT: DEMENTIA & MEMORY CARE HLTH 335What is Service Learning? • Service-Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.What is Service Learning? (cont’d) • IT IS MORE THAN COMMUNITY SERVICE! • It involves 3 Steps: 1. Instruction in an educational setting 2. Application of skills learned in a community setting 3. Reflection on lessons learned by the experience We are focusing on Dementia & Memory Care for our Service Learning ExperienceDementia • Not a specific disease • It is a general term that describes a wide range of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills, severe enough to reduce a person's ability to perform everyday activities • often incorrectly referred to as "senility," which reflects the formerly widespread but incorrect belief that serious mental decline is a normal part of aging.Alzheimer’s Disease • Accounts for 60-80% of all dementia cases • But, there are more than 50 other causes of dementia! • Not a normal part of aging • Gets progressively worse over time • There is no cureRisk Factors for Alzheimer’s •Age •Family HistoryMYTHS about Alzheimer’s & Memory Loss • Myth #1: Memory Loss is a natural part of aging. • Myth #2: Alzheimer’s disease is not fatal. • Myth #3: Only older people can get Alzheimer’s. • Myth #4: Drinking out of aluminum cans or cooking in aluminum pots can lead to Alzheimer’s.MYTHS about Alzheimer’s & Memory Loss (cont’d) • Myth #5: Aspartame causes memory loss. • Myth #6: Flu shots increase risk of Alzheimer’s disease. • Myth #7: Silver dental fillings increase risk for Alzheimer’s. • Myth #8: There are treatments available to stop the progression.MYTHS about Alzheimer’s & Memory Loss (cont’d) • Myth #9: Chemotherapy can cause, trigger or hasten the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease. Some of these myths may sound crazy (!), but they have been widely believed, and still areOther causes of dementia: • Diseases that cause degeneration or loss of nerve cells (e.g., Parkinson’s and Huntington’s) • Diseases that affect blood vessels (e.g., stroke) • Toxic reactions (including excessive alcohol or drug use) • Nutritional deficiencies (B12 and folate) • Infections that affect brain and spinal cord (e.g., Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) • Certain types of hydrocephalus (accumulation of fluid in the brain) • Brain tumors • Head injury (a single severe injury, or chronic smaller injuries) • Certain kidney, liver, and lung diseasesDetecting Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Key Signs/Symptoms • Memory Loss • Not always consistent; important to track • When dementia is advanced, this will be the main characteristic • Mood Swings • Feeling anxious & agitated is common • Movement from place to place can cause confusion & increase anxiety & agitation • Poor Judgement • Exhibited through poor decisions regarding clothing, hard time handling money, forgetting to pay bills, etc. • Misplacing Items • Misplacing items in unusual places (e.g., car keys in the freezer) • Inability to retrace steps leads to confusion and suspicion; can trigger mood swing• Getting lost • Tendency to wander off, walk aimlessly, following by inability to recognize familiar people, places, or objects • Leads to confusion • May feel “lost” in own home Detecting Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Key Signs/Symptoms (cont’d)MEMORY CARE • A long-term care option for patients who have been diagnosed with a memory loss condition or have problems with at least two areas of daily living. • Areas/Activities of Daily Living (ADL) • Mobility (walking and transferring) • Personal hygiene, grooming, dressing • Managing medications • Nutrition • Navigation (finding dining room, bedroom, etc.) Memory skills required for all!MEMORY CARE TECHNIQUES… • Revolve around INTERACTION with others • Life Story Interviews • Memory Games • Bingo • Cards • Physical Activities • Gardening • Ball toss • Sensorial Activities • Finger-knitting • Spice painting • Sorting activities • Organizing a jewelry box • Matching earrings (or other objects) These are just some examplesFor our Service Learning Project, we will focus on: • Life Story Interviews • Bingo • Sensory Spice Painting You can participate in 1 or more of these activities, based on your own interests!BINGO! • We are probably all familiar with bingo.  • Spread out among the residents who are playing. • You can play along with your own bingo card, as well. • Help those around you if they ask or if they seem to need it. • The facility has a system of giving “play money” to the winners. The residents can actually use this “money” to purchase things from time to time (toilet paper, kleenex, etc.). So, if YOU win, please donate your winnings to those residents at the table with you . • Conversations often occur during bingo. Interact with those around you!MORE ABOUT BINGO • http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/jul/12/research.medicalscience • http://www.sparklingbingoblog.com/2013/07/04/bingo-to-improve-your-mental-health-0293/Life Story Interviews • A relatively new approach in psychology and the social sciences that emphasizes narrative and the storied nature of human conduct. • It is also becoming more widely used as a tool in clinical settings for memory care. • Key Scenes in the Life Story • High point • Low point • Wisdom event • Challenges • Health • Personal Ideology • Most important single value We will provide you with an interview guide* to utilize…. But these interviews are only semi-structured, i.e., you can let the conversation lead, and you can ask additional questions that seem appropriate *See Life Story Interview Guide pdf, distributed by email with these notesLife Story Interviews (cont’d) • This technique has several outcomes, in addition to serving as a memory-strengthening tool for the individual being interviewed… • It also serves to help the interviewer (you!) in these ways: • build rapport with patient population • Gain knowledge about lifespan development • Gain experience in critical thinking about how context affects an individual • Strengthen compassion and empathy skills • Gain