Anneliese Peterson | Sep 21, 2015
Who are you without your memories? At Walker Methodist, you’re one of us. Many of our residents live with Alzheimer’s disease, which affects 47 million men and women around the world.
World Alzheimer’s Day was established to shed light on the incurable disease and to raise awareness for the people it affects. We do many things within our organization to support the disease and other forms of dementia. There are several ways you can help us make a difference, too.
A World United
The first World Alzheimer’s Day was launched on September 21, 1994 by Alzheimer’s Disease International, the umbrella organization of many Alzheimer’s associations. Alzheimer’s by definition is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. It’s the most common cause of dementia – a group of brain disorders that results in the loss of intellectual and social skills. These changes are severe enough to interfere with day-to-day life.
The Alzheimer’s Association works to eradicate the disease by advancing research, enhancing care and support for those affected, and to promote brain health to reduce the risk of dementia. World Alzheimer’s Day calls attention to that mission and unites people globally.
Walker Methodist: Honoring People Locally
At Walker Methodist, we take great honor in caring for those with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, making their lives a bit easier. Each memory care community offers excellent health care, environments designed for safety, engaging programming, and a person-centered philosophy. Our mission at Walker Methodist is Life. And all the living that goes with it. Enhancing the lives of older adults through a culture of care, respect and service. We believe our residents in memory care communities have much living yet to do, they just require a little more assistance.
Some of the memory care services we provide include:
- 24/7 onsite healthcare staffing
- Health monitoring
- Medication management
- Skilled R.N. oversight
- Music and Memory program
- Aromatherapy
- Cognitive engagement and physical activity
- Spiritual care
- Family education
What You Can Do for Alzheimer's Disease
At Walker Methodist, we always welcome support and assistance at our memory care communities at Care Suites, Place, Health Center, Westwood Ridge, and Highview Hills. We’re proud to be one of the few certified Music and Memory program participants in Minnesota. Through this program, we offer each resident in the memory care communities an iPod with personalized playlist and headphones. You can help bring more music and more memories to people who need it most.
Another initiative we’re excited about is our free Memory Journal. We know that within our walls there are many, many stories, so many of which are untold. Our hope is the free Memory Journal will connect people to their memories. Each journal contains seven chapters of questions and blank spaces for individuals to share their stories. We encourage caregivers, friends, and families to use this tool to connect to their loved ones. Plan a visit, open the journal, and begin cultivating the stories that need to be told. Relive the memories cherished by many.
We do our best to make life for those with Alzheimer’s a bit easier. The care each resident receives is individualized to their specific needs. All memory care staff encourage positive interactions, reinforcements, and directions to provide the most calming, enjoyable, stress-free environment possible. Our confortable and spacious suites and communities adapt to the wants, needs, and dreams of residents.
Walker Methodist is lucky to have an extraordinary fleet of staff, volunteers, and visitors who work to further support our mission. Nothing is more powerful than human connection, and wherever your passions and talents lie, you can use them at Walker Methodist. Arts and crafts, music, pets, specialty parties, outings, church escorts, these are just a few of the opportunities to share your time and your heart with our memory care communities.
World Alzheimer’s Day was created because the disease needs visibility. It needs resources, manpower, funding, and to be recognized as the serious epidemic it is.
