If you have a loved one experiencing some Alzheimer's or dementia, and you're wondering how to help them find purpose and meaning each day, this show focuses on ways to help. Michelle Cornelius, VP of Memory Care at Cogir Senior Living, joins Suzanne from Phoenix to talk about providing a sense of purpose, accomplishment, and motivation for getting up each day for those with dementia.

Michelle says, "Our calendars change every month, and they're really individualized by the community and the culture of each community, because what we do in Phoenix is very different than what we do in some of our Mid Atlantic properties or our California properties. Some of it is just weather related — I can do things in the winter in Phoenix that you can't do elsewhere. Some of it's based off the culture of the location. Even the foods we serve vary depending on where you are. Folks in the Phoenix area are used to a little spice in their food, but in other areas, they don't want that.

"And then we have to vary the amounts of support that people need as well. People in the early stage of dementia, we want to make sure we're incorporating a lot of reminiscing and a lot of things that trigger their memory. And it's a different type of support than for folks who are in the later stages, where we need to give a lot more time. We need to use a lot more sensory integration. So we might have trivia. and trivia is gonna look very different for people in the early stage than in the late stage. Our exercise groups will look very different depending on what stage a person is in their disease process. and the amount of support they need to be successful."

The Vitality Revolution podcast series is sponsored by Humana.

Hear more:
Michelle Cornelius episodes on Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/tag/michelle-cornelius/
Social Wellness episodes: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/social-wellness/
Occupational Wellness episodes: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/occupational-wellness/

Learn more:
Cogir Senior Living: https://www.cogirseniorliving.com/
Michelle Cornelius: https://cadencesl.com/cadence-living-hires-michelle-cornelius-as-vp-of-memory-care-engagement/
The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/
Humana: https://www.humana.com/
Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/

You can reach Michelle Cornelius at mcornelius@cogirusa.com.

Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/

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