Wellness Seminar 

"Memories-Memories"

story and Photos by Barbara Mcdole Wellness committee member

Over seventy people were enlightened by three keynote speakers who not only informed us but entertained us as well.

Dr. Corey Mackenzie, who has a Ph.D. from Queen's University, is the Director of Clinical Studies in the Psychology Department at the University of Manitoba. He has always been interested in geriatric studies relating to memory issues. His topic was "Memory and Aging--What's Normal and What's Not." This was of great interest to his audience as after we retire, we seem to realize that there are a number of situations in our lives where we aren't as "SHARP" as we used to be! Dr. Mackenzie explained that memory changes are, in fact, normal as we age and led us through a number of examples that were normal and others that were not. Some strategies for aiding good memory are:

WORM

Write information down Organize your environment Repeat information to yourself Make new information meaningful

Dr. Mackenzie stated that Dementia is a syndrome that includes Alzheimers, Vascular Dementia, MCI (mild cognitive impairment) and genetic pre-dispositions such as Parkinsons and Huntingtons, to name a few. He also led us through a few memory tests which certainly raised my anxiety level!!!!!!I still would like to know, Dr. Mackenzie, what the normal recall number is for the sixteen words!!!! Something else of interest was the fact that memories are categorized into five types: semantic, immediate, recent, remote and prospective.

Dr. Cory Mackenzie and Val Smyth.

Recent memory is the one that is severely affected by Alzheimers. This is the ability to remember facts from days, hours or even minutes ago. Our approach to Dementia should be one of prevention instead of treatment. Stress and depression also affect Dementia. Good healthy lifestyles are just as important to our minds as they are to the rest of our bodies!

Susan Macaulay.

Susan Macaulay. who is a Residential Organizing Specialist, spoke to us on "Clarity over Clutter." Because

Susan is so passionate about her role as a ROS, she inspired quite a number of us to want to dig right in and start to eliminate problem areas in our homes that we had been procrastinating about for a VERY LONG TIME! Susan emphasized the fact that ORGANIZING YOUR ENVIRONMENT is a key to healthy living, as did Dr. Mackenzie when referring to strategies for good memory. Susan addressed the definitions and descriptions of Situational Disorganization, Chronic Disorganization and Hoarding. One must keep in mind, however, that being organized means different things to different people, depending on the situation. With the handouts Susan gave us, it was easy to jot things down, as she spoke to issues that related to our own "AHHA" situations! With organization and getting rid of unnecessary STUFF, we begin to unclutter our lives and minds!! Sometimes, however, when disorganization is more problematic and chronic, it is a symptom that something else is happening in the person's life. It has been noted that 69% of hoarders have de-

pression issues. In any of these cases of disorganization and hoarding, lots of dialoguing is very important. No wonder Susan is so good at what she does! She is not only very knowledgeable, but funny and enthusiastic. I'm sure that people working through their problems with her feel very safe and comfortable!

Lunch was a delicious array of salads, wraps, sandwiches, veggies with dip, cream puffs and dessert slices, provided by St. James Healthy Lunch. Tall Grass Prairie provided the snacks at the a.m. break.

Maria Mathews and Peggy Prendergast.

The afternoon session was led by Maria Mathews, Client Support Manager and Family Educator at the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba.

Having had the morning session with Dr. Mackenzie, we all were aware that Alzheimers is one of the diseases classified under the term Dementia. Alzheimers makes up for 65% of these cases. Having previously been the Recreation Director at The Wellington for five years, Maria had the opportunity to observe many situations and behaviours, to understand the complexities of aging. Maria's mother and mother-in-law were both afflicted with Alzheimers, enabling her to experience the issues faced by family members. Maria's presentation offered up wonderful tips for dealing with family who may be exhibiting symptoms that are not simply part of normal aging.

During these years 3-30, we form our strongest emotional attachments. YOU ARE WHO YOU WERE THEN--values, emotions, etc.

In the beginning, people who are aging and experiencing signs of Alzheimers know that something is happening and so make an effort to make sure they continue to engage in social pleasantries even though things are beginning to fall apart. As the disease progresses, they may also begin to internalize fear and withdraw from certain situations. Too many people around causes distraction. Clutter, which was addressed by our two previous presenters, is common, resulting in misplaced things and frustration. There is difficulty for the person in performing familiar tasks. Finding the right word, poor judgment calls and trouble with abstract thinking are all evident. Physical visits with suspected Alzheimers patients are very important, as is lots of dialoguing with friends and family about what they have observed during visits. Focused interaction is important so that you can watch facial expressions. Approach the person from the front, smiling, maintaining eye contact and speaking with a pleasant voice. Keep sentences short, questions must offer choices, offer help to unstick them on stuck words and don't argue with them. Personality changes are common. Talk to them about things in their remote memory. Again, this is very significant as they are a product of who they were then. Encourage the subject to move around and to participate in different activities. Check and help out with doctor appointments and seek help from the Alzheimers Support Services: 943-6622. Again, we are reminded that exercise, healthy eating, social interaction, new mental activities and head protection are all very important in staving off Alzheimers!

Reflections. . .

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As well, I offer my utmost gratitude to my wife Lucille who worked closely by my side and who readily answered my call for secretarial assistance.

I am sorry that I was unable to attend and preside at this 2012 AGM, due to back problems. I was certainly with you in spirit.

RTAM, which represents over 8,000 members, is very important for retirees. It is the only organization which works for retired teachers on all fronts – benefits, pensions, wellness and many others as you will read in the highlights of the 2012 AGM in KIT. With still more members and our display of cohesion and unity, we have and will continue to impact on government and the Manitoba community at large.

Therefore, thank you for having given me your confidence and support from 2009 to 2012. It was, as I alluded to earlier, a real pleasure, challenge and endeavour. I look forward to continuing on the Board as Past President.

Please read my annual report and my ACER-CART report in the fall edition of KIT.