Final Video Reflection - Madilyne McDonald

        My time with the Best Friends Day Center is drawing to a close, and I have truly had some experiences to remember during my time there. Friday afternoons were always sure to be entertaining, as well as a reminder of how I want to live my life. I will miss my time at Best Friends and the many dance moves that the participants have taught me. Here are some final thoughts about my time spent at this service organization.

Ice-cream time was always a favorite!

 

Written Reflection Three - Madilyne McDonald

              My time with Best Friends is coming to an end. The time I have spent at this facility has really affected my experience here at the University of Kentucky for the better. The participants have shown me many things. They have shown me that being happy is the most important thing in life. They have certainly showed me that you are never too old to be ornery or to bust a movie to a catchy song. Every time that I have visited the Best Friends Day Center I have laughed and I have learned something new. I also don’t think I have ever done a sing along every Friday afternoon before, but I find that I like them. The participants are always so grateful for any help that we can offer and really they just enjoy talking to us and telling us all about their business.

The birds in the main room also got to enjoy the music.

 

              This past Friday was a special day in that a man and a woman who offer their time once a month to come and put on a little concert for the Best Friends Day Center came while I was there. They sang everything from famous country songs to well-known hymns and they definitely got the participants dancing. After helping the performers carry in their supplies I visited with the residents while they set up, and then it was time to dance. They really went all out in their set up. They had a keyboard, and a guitar with speakers so that the sound was strong and clear in the main room. By the second song, over half of the people in the room were up and dancing. Since most of the participants need a little help with their balance, I got the privilege of dancing with several different people. Once again, they surprised me with their memorization of the songs and they belted them out and tapped their feet along with the music. Even the residents that normally don’t get involved with the activities were tapping out a beat and singing along. The performers were a huge success and after helping them pack up I got a chance to talk with one of the men that I haven’t had the chance to yet and I genuinely enjoyed speaking with him.

              One of the men that is normally quiet pulled me aside after the performers left and asked me if I would help him pick some flowers for his wife. He explained that he always liked to bring his wife flowers because that was the way to a woman’s heart. I thought it was wonderful and touching that he wanted to get something for his wife so with the permission of the directors I helped him gather some flowers from other vases around the building. He was very pleased with the resulting bouquet and kept saying how happy his wife would be when he gave it to her. I wished that I could have been there when he did, and I can only hope that I find someone who will always want to do small things like that for me, no matter what is going on in our lives. I look forward to my last visit with the residents this Friday and I will truly miss them and all the entertainment they have brought to my life these last several weeks.

The facility that Best Friends is a part of.

Analyzing a TED Talk - Madilyne McDonald

           I recently watched Alanna Shaikh give a speech entitled How I'm Preparing to Get Alzheimer's on the TED stage. This speech, given on June 6th, 2012, was showing her outlook on Alzheimer's and a different way of looking at the future. She told several stories throughout her speech which established her credibility helped the audience understand her point of view. Shaikh told stories about her father, who had Alzheimer’s; she talked about how he was a bilingual professor before getting the disease and how good his heart was.

Shaikh giving her TED Presentation

Shaikh taught me several things throughout her speech. She told me three ways that I could prepare myself to receive Alzheimer's, which were easier to remember than an overloaded of information. These three ways were: learning to do something with my hands, things that one’s hands would do automatically where memory failed, exercises that improve balance, the loss of balance associated with Alzheimer’s could make a person immobile, and making sure that your heart was in a good place so that when everything else was stripped away it was something to be proud of.  These things would likely help a person be happier and live longer with the disease. Preparing to get Alzheimer’s was a concept that I hadn't heard before. Shaikh delivered several jaw dropping statistics throughout her speech. She informed the audience that 35 million people have this disease and that number is expected to double by 2030. She also said "If the monster wants you, it will get you." She repeated this several times which made people really face the reality of the disease instead of how it’s normally avoided.

Knitting was a suggested hobby to learn.

           The speech was very effective. Shaikh talked like she was in a conversation with the audience. She was talking to me instead of over me. She clearly outlined the main points so that I could easily follow her thoughts. However, she did not move around very much and some of her body language seemed tense, which showed her nerves. Another skill that Shaikh had was that she incorporated humor into her speech. Since her subject was so serious, Shaikh had to be careful about the amount of humor that she used, and she used just enough to lighten up the mood and keep her audience interested. She talked about how she was learning to knit but could only knit a ball and she was learning origami and could make a pretty nice box. This got a chuckle from the audience and lightened up a tough subject.

          Shaikh delivered her speech in six minutes and nineteen seconds. This time was well under the eighteen minute standard. I felt that she explained her topic extremely well, she covered her main points and gave the reasons behind them. She grabbed my attention with her story and incorporated it throughout the whole speech. She challenged my way of thinking by introducing something new. Shaikh told what it was like to love someone with Alzheimer's and what it will be like if you ever get the disease, this connected her and her topic to the audience. She stayed in her lane by not trying to give medical advice or convince us that her way was the only way. She stated facts and explained why she thought preparing for Alzheimer's was important.

          I thought that Shaikh's TED talk was extremely effective. Although brief, it challenged my thoughts on the topic, stretched my thinking, and taught me something new. Her stories and humor that were incorporated made her topic relatable. Volunteering at Best Friends, has made me think about how many people are affected by Alzheimer's and the possibility of getting it later in life. The participants of Best Friends are high functioning, leading me to wonder how much preparation they did throughout their lives. If I got the disease, I would rather be high functioning and happy like they are and would be willing to do anything I could to make this a possibility.
How I'm Preparing to Get Alzheimer's
        

Video Reflection 2 - Madilyne McDonald

The arts and crafts counter at Best Friends
where residents get to show off
their work.

       Another Friday has come and gone which means another afternoon spent with the residents of the Best Friends Day Center. As always the conversation was stimulating and entertaining. Usually I go around 3:00 pm which is game time and snack time for the residents. This week I got the opportunity to go earlier in the day and was able to talk to the residents more than I have in the past. I had the chance to meet with a couple more residents that I haven't had a chance to talk to yet and I loved hearing their comments and opinions on life.
       One woman who I spent time with is originally from Germany. She was telling me all about growing up there, including telling me how to make sauerkraut, which according to her included stomping on it after washing your feet. She also informed me that she had decided she wanted to be married again and had many men lined up just waiting on her to say the word. I very much enjoyed my time with her and all her entertaining stories about a different time and place. I also met a man who used to be a radiologist. He used to work in a hospital and come up with treatment plans for patients with cancer. He was very interesting and it was clear that he loved his job. All the residents are ornery and like to make jokes and liven up the place. They always tell me that I will learn a lot when I spend time with them, and after this past Friday, I think that they were telling the truth.
      Since the residents of Best Friends seem to be very high functioning, it is easy for me to forget the struggles that they go through everyday. It is not easy for them to do the tasks that we do without thinking about, such as playing the games or doing the exercises. Most of them have such a happy attitude that I think it is a real testament. The fact that they can be that upbeat and positive even with all that they have going on in their lives. I was curious to know just what it felt like to have Alzheimer's disease  so I looked to see if anyone had every created a simulation of what it felt like. I have included a link for a video of a newscaster and a man whose mother has Alzheimer's disease. In this video both the man and the newscaster are given things that are meant to simulate what it would be like to have this disease and then asked to complete basic household tasks. Even with their fully functioning minds these two individuals were unable to perform simple tasks. It is a good reminder of how difficult it is to have this disease and how important it is to have understanding caregivers, like those at Best Friends.
Living with Alzheimer's for 12 minutes

These images show the difference between

a normal brain and that of a person with

Alzheimer's disease.

Written Reflection One - Madilyne

          This weekend my group and I visited the Best Friends Day Center, which was a spot of sunshine in the rainy week we had just endured. The participants were happy to see us and didn't seem to be allowing the weather to affect their moods. For the most part, the people who attend the Day Center are quick witted, entertaining, and happy people. This week, my group and I had the additional honor of meeting Virginia Bell, the founder of the first Best Friends Day Center right here in Lexington. Not only does she travel the world, but she participates in marathons as well. Age is not slowing down nor preventing this soon to be ninety-four year old woman from doing exactly what she wants to. Virginia Bell has created a safe haven for those suffering with dementia or Alzheimer's disease by creating an activity filled day with the purpose of exercising participants' minds.

The piano at Best Friends Day Center

          This weeks activities consisted of playing a game of hangman using famous cereals, such as cheerios and singing songs again. This time we had a pianist playing the songs for us. Most of the participants have strong voices and know the songs from memory. We were getting teased for needing to use the song books as we sang along. The song selection consisted of anything from classics such as You Are My Sunshine, to hymns, such as Amazing Grace. During this time I was sitting beside a woman who had an absolutely amazing voice. I was amazed that she knew all the words to any song that was picked and could harmonize beautifully and yet she was unable to find the correct pages in her song book. Of course she did not need the book to sing along, yet it fascinated and saddened me to see how the brain works and how dementia and Alzheimer's disease affect such a fundamental part of our brain. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her as well as some of the other residents.

          I also had the honor of talking to a man in his mid nineties who had traveled all over the United States as a truck driver. He told me stories of long hours on the road and taking his wife to California as she had always wanted to do. the Day Center is filled with amazing people with amazing stories. The fact that we got to meet Virginia Bell, the woman who created such a beneficial care facility was truly an honor. While I'm impressed and pleased that there are Best Friends Day Centers all throughout the country, I firmly believe that there could never be too many. I once again enjoyed my time with the participants and look forward to returning and learning more about the Day Center.

         

The Best Friends Day Center

        Alzheimer's is commonly described as a mental illness that destroys memory and causes the loss of other mental functions. Imagine the frustration that would come with the beginning stages of this disease, the knowledge that you should remember something but just can't quite bring it to your mind. It might seem easy to discount someone with Alzheimer's, however, in my experience, these people can bring so much joy and so many stories into your life. Each one of them is living, breathing history with a story to tell.
        This semester, four of my classmates and I have the privilege of working with the Best Friends Day Center. This is a place where people with Alzheimer's can come and spend part of their days. They can experience quality time with others as well as participate in activities. My team and I will be doing activities with our friends as well as just talking to them about their lives and ours. We will each receive a participant of the Day Center to work with and will be provided with facts about them as well as their story before spending quality time with them. The Best Friends Day Center describes the atmosphere as a creative and safe environment for all who attend.

The Best Friends Day Center team at our first meeting!

        Organizations like Best Friends hold a special place in my heart ever since my grandma was diagnosed with Early-Onset Dementia. I know how difficult it can be and how important it is to make them feel at ease and involved.  After our initial meeting at the Day Center, which involved a sing-along and meeting some of the participants, I very much look forward to working with this organization. Not only will volunteering here be a wonderful way to get involved with the community, but it will make Lexington feel more like home and give me something to look forward to. All the participants were so happy to be there and were genuinely enjoying themselves. I think that it will personally make me a better person hearing their stories and working to help brighten their day. I have no doubt that in trying to brighten their day, they will actually brighten mine.

http://www.alz.org/kyin/in_my_community_17256.asp
https://myci.uky.edu/NPODB/Orgs_view.php