By DAVID CLOUSTON

Salina Journal

Tucked away in adults' minds are memories of buying their first car. Their first house. First dates. Marriages. Funerals. New Year's Eve kisses.

When those memories no longer register as clearly, when even the process of choosing an outfit for the day and getting dressed seems confusing, Pat Piper is there to help.

Activities that engage the mind and body are essential therapy for seniors with Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Piper's job as activity coordinator is to integrate art, music, horticulture, physical exercise, crafts and other activities into the daily lives of the 16 residents of Presbyterian Manor's memory support unit.

"It's fun to come to work because you're doing fun things with the residents," Piper said. "We have a patio we go out on. We've planted a garden -- we have a lot of farmers living here. We have probably 100 tomatoes (on the vine). We have green beans, onions, we ate all our radishes, and cucumbers.

"We play croquet outdoors. We do a lot of walks, we go out to eat, go for rides to get ice cream. The concept is no longer that they're in their rooms constantly," she said. "We go to a lot of activities off the unit" with other residents living at the facility.

43 years in nursing field

Piper's career in the nursing field spans 43 years. She started as a nurse's tech at Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center in Topeka. She became a nurse's aide at a facility in Junction City, then came to Presbyterian Manor to work.

In 2000, she hurt her back, and that led her to quit the nursing profession and go to work for a finance company.

"I was very disgusted because I made more at the finance company than taking care of someone's mother," Piper said. "It really upset me."

She went back to work at another nursing home in Salina. Then she heard Presbyterian Manor was opening the new memory support unit for Alzheimer's and dementia patients, and she applied.

"I wouldn't work anywhere else. When I retire, I'm done. I wouldn't go to another facility. Staffing is awesome here, the people are awesome here," she said.

Some studies estimate that as many as nearly 25 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's disease or dementia, which are noncurable fatal degenerative brain diseases marked by loss of memory and confusion. The number of sufferers could exceed 80 million by 2040, some experts fear.

Here's information you may not know about Alzheimer's. Pastel-colored clothing appears all gray to an Alzheimer's sufferer, research has shown, Piper said.

"So if I would wear a pastel uniform and stand by that door, all they could see would be my face and my arms," she said. "If you stop and think, that would be awfully scary.

Piper picks out activities for residents, makes the arrangements for them, and her fellow staff members help carry them out.

There are memory games and she encourages residents to read aloud. She even has convinced a couple of ladies in the unit who used to play the piano to try taking up the instrument. She likes to lead the residents in cooking activities -- flouring chicken to prepare it for frying, for instance.

"I like people. I like doing what I do. I hope I do a good enough job that the residents are happy," Piper said. "When I took a vacation, and I walked back in, there were Alzheimer's people who may not have known my name, but, oh my gosh, they were happy to see I came back. That's a big reward for me."

n Reporter David Clouston can be reached at 822-1403 or by e-mail at dclouston@salina.com.

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Susan Berg says....
As an author and seasoned Activity Director, I can relate to this story. It is oh so important to keep the mind and body of those with dementia, active. It is important that they be engaged in meaningful activities whether they are in long term care or living at home with a caregiver by Susan Berg author of Adorable Photographs of Our Baby-Meaningful Mind Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged, Their Loved Ones and Involved Professionals a book for those with dementia and an excellent resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals. I would like to donate a copy of my book to Piper
8/10/2008

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