By Joan Blumenfeld, MS, LPC

My mother had Alzheimer’s.  She was adorable and loving and maintained her personality until she died at almost 95 years of age.  I used to visit her weekly in her home and then, toward the end of her life, in the nursing home.

Managing her care inspired me to become a geriatric care manager myself.  I was already a Master’s level psychotherapist with many years of experience and a strong background in family dynamics.  Additional training in gerontology and volunteer work in the social service department of a fine nursing home enabled me to segue smoothly into my care management practice.

Visits with Mother were a labor of love and sometimes quite a challenge.  As is typical with dementia, Mother eventually lost her ability to initiate, and stay focused on, meaningful conversation, but selected activities helped us stay connected.  The activities that worked best for us changed out of necessity as her Alzheimer’s progressed.