Join us for an exciting episode on the importance of engagement programs in memory care featuring our special guest and Arbor Terrace Roseland Director of Engagement, Angela Zeoli. As our loved ones age and face challenges due to memory loss, the lifestyle they always enjoyed may look a little different. However, with the help of experts like Angela, seniors are able to enjoy all of the activities they love most without worrying about difficulties standing in their way.
This is accomplished through our robust engaged living program provided by our award-winning team that truly sets communities like Arbor Terrace Roseland apart. With a packed event calendar that provides activity options and exercise to be enjoyed every day, residents are able to have their choice of things to do. These activities are specially designed to help older adults strengthen their minds and engage their bodies in ways that truly delight them. With friends and compassionate caregivers at every corner, this is a memory care experience that truly makes a positive difference.
To learn more about engagement programs in our communities, book a tour at a community near you now!
Video Transcript
Hi everyone and welcome to an episode of Senior Living Live. We are here on-site at Arbor Terrace Roseland and I have a fantastic guest with me today, the Director of Engagement, Angela Zioli. We are so excited to have you.
Thank you. I'm excited to be here.
Awesome! Well, we are going to talk about something that I think a lot of people are going to find really interesting, you know, engagement. Yes. But also engagement specifically for people who are suffering with some sort of memory loss. You know, things, things get a little different, when that's involved. But, to get started, can you kind of just talk to me a little bit more about the engaged living program here at Arbor Terrace?
Sure. So I believe the engaged living program is really what sets us apart from our competitors and anybody else out there. We really do try to strive to offer the best and offer some really great experiences for the residents. And that is not just for residents down in assisted living on the, well for our building it's the first and second floor, some buildings it's different. But it also applies to our residents on the third floor for our memory care. I know that's something that comes up a lot when we have tours and stuff when we mentioned that we have activities seven days a week. We do exercise every single day. We have a variety of activities such as, continued learning, spiritual activities, so you get to engage with your religious practices if you choose, social activities, outings, all of that. And it's always, the surprise that I hear when everyone's like, oh, that goes for the third floor too. I'm like, yes. Everybody has a good time. It's not just for a couple people. We try to do our best for everyone here.
Importance of Engagement in Memory Care Communities
Absolutely. And we know, you know, I get to travel and see the communities, and we know just how important engagement is.
I say it all the time. Sorry to interrupt you.
No, please.
I say it all the time too, whenever a resident moves in. I say I'm not gonna wake you up and give you a pill. I'm not taking your blood pressure. I'm just here to make sure you have a good time.
You're the fun.
I'm the fun.
Absolutely. Like, that's who I wanna hang out with. How can you know, this engagement is so important for everyone, but how specifically can it help people who are, you know, in memory care?
Engaging People with Memory Loss
Well, a lot of people think, like, the activities is just, you know, silly, having fun, not really important, but it really is an important part of your day to day. You know, we don't wanna sit here and do nothing all day. That's boring to us. So it's boring to people with memory loss as well. It doesn't make it any different for them. So we use a lot of our activities as tools and great ways to engage the residents. So we do a variety of word games every day. So I personally alternate between guess that sound or we'll we'll take a picture and zoom it in. You have to guess what that is. We play other games like, I'll write down, like, kitchen and we'll say, okay. Everyone tell me what you need to fill your kitchen with. What items would you find? And I find such joy when the residents are like, oh, a fork. You know, maybe some dishes. You know, they sit there and they make their little grocery list of things that are in their kitchen. Even people will think, you know, bingo is one of those things that isn't exactly the most enriching activity, but we use it really as a tool as well. So it's the number recognition. When you call b ten, so the resident has to find the b ten on the paper. It's the hand eye coordination with the dabber. It's recognizing the patterns on the page. It's all of that. And we've actually, you know, seen some residents and gone to the nurse and been like, hey, two weeks ago, so and so could find the numbers and say bingo, and now they're having a really hard time finding bingo. So a lot of the activities are not just for having a good time, making sure the residents have a good day, but also for us to be aware of things that are going on with them as well.
Tips for Engaging Loved Ones with Memory Loss
And you all are pretty much the first line of defense just because you do see them every day Yes. And you know them so well. Yes. I find that fascinating. Do you have any tips on how, you know, our viewers at home could engage their loved one, who maybe has some memory loss?
Sure. I'm also personally going through this as well with my family, so it's great to have some tips from work that I can bring home. But, the advice I would give is meet them where they are. Go with the flow and meet them where they are. So let's say your mom is the biggest Frank Sinatra fan. So maybe you'd put play some Frank Sinatra songs, sit with her and have a talk about it. Oh, you remember this song or find there's YouTube is a good tool. You can go on YouTube and find live concerts. Oh, this was in nineteen whatever at this place in New York. Isn't that great? Like, do you remember around this time? Meet them where they are. And my other tip is go with the flow. So, you know, if it's a rainy, miserable day, I don't wanna get up and do act I don't wanna go play bowling. You know what I mean? I'm gonna wanna stay in bed and take a nap all day. So maybe you're not gonna we're not gonna stay in bed and take a nap all day, but maybe it's a more low key day. We'll do like a meditation kinda exercise, and maybe I'll sit there and paint nails. You meet them where they are. You go with the flow, and they kinda steer the ship more or less. You're you're in control, but they steer the ship.
Adapting to Memory Loss
Yes. Yeah. That's something I've learned so much, about, you know, memory loss is exactly what you said, meeting them where they are. You know, all affirmation and just reaffirming everything that they think is going on. Let's say somebody has a level one who's just recently diagnosed with dementia and kinda help me help, let's help them with that first step. What what now?
So it very much is overwhelming at the start, but it's important to figure out where they are right then and there. You know, it's a lot of people think, oh, with the first dementia diagnosis that they think worst case scenario. They picture, you know, what you see in the movies and TV where, like, it it looks terrible. It's not always that way to start off with. So you have to figure out where your loved one is and then you can go from there. You know, maybe they only forget so often, but maybe it's not every ten minutes we forget. Maybe it's every hour. So it wouldn't be as severe. So it it's easy to jump to the worst case scenario, but I would not, you know.
Thriving With Dementia
I completely agree with you. You know, a lot of we talk about it at the Arbor Company, a lot, but the idea of thriving with dementia. Yes. Can you kinda tell us what that means to you?
So, like I said, with the comparison with, you know, just sitting in a chair, what they say in movies when it it looks awful, that's not what we have here. So thriving with dementia is not just sitting in a wheelchair all day staring at the four walls. Thriving really means you're doing your activities. You are still capable of having interpersonal relationships. You're gonna be able to have a good time with your day. So for me, thriving with dementia means means you still are able to have a good quality of life.
I love that. Do you have maybe just one more piece of advice you'd like to leave our audience with when it comes to engaging people, with memory loss?
Absolutely. You don't have to, similar to like I just said with the, you know, you don't have to lose everything in your life. You still have a life to live. The person's still alive. They are capable of having interpersonal relationships. They're they have their own wants and needs. They are capable of having a good time. They are capable of recognizing their loved ones and having a good time with them as well. It's not just the end of your life. You are still able to have a fulfilling life with dementia.
Fantastic.
Well, Angela, I know you're very busy, being the fun of this whole place, but thank you so much for sitting down and talking with us. This is great information for our viewers.
Thank you.
For everybody at home, thank you so much for watching. If you would like more information like this, more videos, webinars, you can go to seniorlivinglive.com. And if you're in the area of Roseland, New Jersey, you can learn more about Arbor Terrace Roseland at arborroseland.com. Thanks, everybody.
