Bring out the best in each person with dementia each day with more than 140 versatile, easy-to-implement Best Friends activities. Thousands of caregivers around the world know that providing Best Friends' care improves the quality of life of people with dementia by building on the essential elements of friendship; respect, empathy, support, trust, humor, and sharing time together. Using the Best Friends approach to activities, anyone on staff can turn any interaction with a resident or client into an activity that satisfies essential physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Each activity contains suggestions for personalizing the activity and matching it to the remaining strengths of the individual to ensure success and reduce challenging behaviors. The Best Friends Book of Alzheimer's Activities is chock full of inspiring and innovative ideas on how to: convert everyday activities into those with ""knack""; create new activities out of tried-and-true activities; provide activities between structured programs/events; increase self-esteem; adapt activities for people with late dementia; provide opportunities for connecting to others; create intergenerational experiences; use the person's life story in any activity; make activities out of personal care; conduct activities specifically for men; fill evening hours to alleviate sundowning; provide ""take-away"" activities for family caregivers to use at home; incorporate exercise into activities; use the Internet to expand and enrich activities. Many activities can be conducted spontaneously, with simple props, engaging older people in meaningful activity for extended periods. Best Friends activities are adult-oriented and flexible enough for staff and residents to add their own ideas. Special features include a list of the latest and most effective resources for activity professionals and helpful tips on communicating with people with dementia.

About the Author
Virginia Bell, M.S.W. is Program Consultant for the Greater Kentucky/Southern Indiana Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. She is the founder of that association's award-winning Helping Hand Adult Day Center. With David Troxel, she has co-authored numerous articles on dementia care and three books. She has lectured about the Best Friends approach in more than 20 countries.

David Troxel, M.P.H., most recently served as President and CEO of the California Central Coast Alzheimer's Association, Santa Barbara, California. Today he is a consultant and speaker for dementia and long-term care programs. He has worked in the field of dementia care since 1986 and currently serves on the Ethics Advisory Panel of the national Alzheimer's Association. With Virginia Bell, he has co-authored numerous articles on dementia care and three books.

Tonya M. Cox, M.S.W., is Vice President of Education and Programs for the Alzheimer's Association serving greater Kentucky and southern Indiana. She began working in dementia care in 1995 in the Helping Hand Adult Day Program developing and leading activities for persons with memory loss. She also teaches and presents on activity programming and caring for persons with dementia.

Robin Hamon, M.S.W., is Family Support Coordinator for the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the University of Kentucky Sanders Brown Center on Aging. She worked with the Alzheimer's Association Lexington/Bluegrass Chapter for 11 years. During her tenure as program manager for the Helping Hand Day Center, she developed a creative art training program for staff and volunteers working with persons with dementia. Her special interests are in training and providing creative arts experiences for persons with dementia.


Book Information
ISBN 9781878812889
Author Virginia Bell
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Health Professions Press,U.S.
Publisher Health Professions Press,U.S.
Weight(grams) 519g