Swimming Against the Current

I recently heard a discussion about swimming lessons for infants and toddlers.  It seems that after many years of belief in the value of swimming lessons for infants, pediatricians came out with a statement saying that this practice, especially for children under the age of four, would give a false sense of confidence to mothers as well as to the children.  Talk about putting a damper on things!  (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

Well, it turns out that pediatricians have now reversed their advice.  It seems that they've come to the conclusion that swimming lessons for children as young as 12-months could actually be beneficial.  They even have statistics to back this up, which is something they, obviously, didn't have to back up their initial declaration. 

This caused me to think about the amount of advice that's out their and question what's worthy of belief.   It also made me wonder if people are losing their ability to follow their instincts and trust their feelings.  Or have we come to believe that it's more important to find and listen to experts, especially experts with a lot of letters after their names.

Visiting with dad everyday in the Memory Care Unit where he now lives and getting to know the other residents as individuals, rather than as people in various stages of dementia,  has changed my view about this condition.  Also, whenever I attend meetings with those who work in the field of dementia it's rather easy to pick out those experts who probably don't spend a lot of time in such settings, but rather learn through meetings and continued study.

Let's hear it for continued study, but let's also go swimming with the toddlers every once in a while. 

Take Your Oxygen First

I recently picked up a copy of "Take Your Oxygen First" by Leeza Gibbons who co-wrote the book with James Huysman, PsyD, LCSW and Rosemary DeAngelis Laird, M.D.  It's a book that documents the challenges of living and coping with a family member who has Alzheimer's.  The difference with this book is that it emphasizes the importance of good self-care for the caregiver.

"Take Your Oxygen First" covers not only an overview of Alzheimer's, but also writes on the importance of exercise, eating well, sleep and other self-care topics as they relate to the caregiver.  There is also a section of caregiver resources, directing care-givers to organizations for information and/or support.

Along with the scope of the book I especially like the clear writing style.  It's a great resource for anyone whose life has been impacted by Alzheimer's Disease. 

Lovely Scraps

I really enjoy doing this project not only with other people but also on my own as a way to clean up some of the odds and ends that I've accumulated in my studio. You know the things I'm talking about - too small to be a major player in an art piece yet too nice to throw away.

The supplies I use for this project generally consist of:
cardboard or scrap of some such board, about a foot square
paint
odd bits of paper, fabric, yarn, trim, and things that glitter
gloss gel to use as an adhesive

I simply paint the piece of cardboard one or more colors, allow it to dry, and glue on the odd bits of pretty things that have been collecting. Saved bits of yarn after a knitting project or fabric scraps are especially useful for this project. And the resulting pieces are often pretty enough to frame.

I've recently been experimenting with box covers using random pieces of paper and ribbon to make interesting pieces. "Interesting" is a kind word to use for some of the results!

Enjoy!

Person Care

OK, this isn't actually a Book Review, but rather a review of a company that I was recently introduced to at an Alzheimer's conference. The company is Person Care and the representative of the company that I had the pleasure of visiting with is Bob Finnie.

Person Care has a wide range of products that address the needs of the aging population. The product on display that I was most fascinated with was the Medication Center with Talking Alarm Clock. This system allows you to set up medications for an entire month. For those of you needing to provide such a reminder for someone you're caring for or for yourself, this is it!

A link to the Person Care's site is listed right at the top of this page under "Resources". Take a look around at all the wonderful information and products that they offer.

Spring Spinach and Strawberry Salad

This salad is so lovely because it's a great base for all sorts of creative additions. But let's start with the basics which are alliteratively wonderful.

Ingredients:
Fresh spinach
Sliced strawberries

Dressing:
1 T apple cider vinegar
3 T olive oil
1 T orange juice concentrate
Dash of curry powder

Place the spinach and strawberries on a plate. Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Drizzle.

Some of my favorite additions to this recipe include avocado and sliced mushrooms. You can also top this salad with sliced chicken or seared tuna and turn it into a main course. Just add your favorite bread and you have a light summer lunch. Add a hunk of chocolate cake for dessert and you have another pound on your hips.

Whatever.

Mayday!

Isn't it odd that the internationally recognized distress call is also the name, with a slightly different spelling, May Day, of the celebration of the coming of spring. The second, May Day, involves dancing and May poles and bonfires and cavorting, which just might lead to a distress call. A slightly humorous and ironic juxtaposition.

Another such ironic juxtaposition is shown in the picture of the road that's in front of our house. Yes, after 110 years we are finally getting new sewer, water, sidewalks, curb and road. Everything will be beautiful once it's finished. The sign in the quagmire tells us not to park on the street between the hours of 7AM and 5PM. Thank you, to those concerned about our safety amidst the construction, for the helpful and necessary (?) sign.

And finally, I want to tell you about a juxtaposition of words that makes me laugh every time I share this incident. My husband and I were driving back from visiting some out of town relatives. I was doing the driving. I soon realized that my husband was looking at me. Softly he touched my face with his fingers and said, "When the sunlight hits your face like that" (Oh my goodness, I thought, a beautiful, romantic moment!) "I can see this really long hair growing out of your chin." I explained the facts of aging to that man that I love and told him I would pluck as soon as we got home.

When I related this story to the Tuesday arts and crafts group at the senior care facility the women, as expected, burst into howls of laughter. Then the group got quiet and the women started to relate how much they longed for simple, romantic gestures. "Men just don't realize how important it is," they said, nodding to each other. These are women in their 70's and 80's. There's still time to let them know.