Artist Shimoda Emanuel rearranged her life when she had to take care of her 95-year young mom with Alzheimer’s. Changing her whole way of doing things wasn’t easy; she was freaking out, losing sleep, feeling like her time wasn’t hers anymore.
Determined to make a change, she found better ways of implementing a healthy lifestyle of art, laughter and music into caregiving.
This is a 2-part series on Caring for the Person Living with Alzheimer’s Disease.
✔️ Main Point #1: Establish Morning Ritual + Time Management
- Sacred time for yourself is so important. Shimoda would meditate for at least for five minutes to get centered, write in her journal, read a book and get up and drink some water.
- As a caregiver, remember that if you’re not taking care of yourself, you’re not going to be able to take care of other people.
✔️ Main Point #2: The Power of Smell
- Essential oils can relax or boost your energy
- Being in touch with how you’re feeling and what can help with that.
✔️ Main Point #3: Food Affects Mood
- Being aware of what you eat and how it makes you feel
- Being aware of how food affects the person your loved one.
- Be mindful of the effect of sugar
✔️ Main Point #4: Sweet Sleep
- Not getting enough sleep affects you and your loved one.
- Tips for a restful sleep, especially if the person with Alzheimer’s wakes up in the middle of the night, includes using safer alternatives like calcium & magnesium supplements, melatonin or chamomile tea.
Shimoda Donna Emanuel is a quilt, fiber, and mixed media artist and the owner of ShimodaAccessories.com. A published author, Shimoda shares her experience in her new book, Sacred Stitches: The Art of Caregiving.
Care Givers Items:
Book & Paper — Shimoda Accessories (shimoda-accessories.com)
Book:
Sacred Stitches: The Art of Care Giving
Tips for Stitching Yourself Together When Caring for Someone with Alzheimer’s
Notecards:
Sacred Stitches – Caregivers Need Love Also
25 Card Deck:
Sacred Stitches – Your Intuitive Wisdom Guide Connecting You to Focus, Clarity & Peace
About Melissa:
I earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (‘96) and Master of Science in Nursing (‘00) as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) School of Nursing (SON). I truly enjoy working with the complex medical needs of older adults. I worked full-time for five years as FNP in geriatric primary care across many long-term care settings (skilled nursing homes, assisted living, home and office visits) then transitioned into academic nursing in 2005, joining the faculty at UNCW SON as a lecturer.
I obtained my PhD in Nursing and a post-Master’s Certificate in Nursing Education from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing (2011) ) and then joined the faculty at Duke University School of Nursing as an Assistant Professor. My family moved to northern Virginia in 2015 and led to me joining the faculty at George Washington University (GW) School of Nursing in 2018 as a (tenured) Associate Professor where I am also the Director of the GW Center for Aging, Health and Humanities.
Find out more about her work HERE.
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