Hello stampers! I want to fight Alzheimer’s and dementia with card making. I know that may sound optimistic but studies have shown that stimulating the brain with new activities and keeping active is helpful to elderly people. My parents are 87 and 92 and are still in remarkably good health but whenever I come to visit I hear rumblings of “Mom is starting to lose it” or “Pap is slipping”. While I am not seeing many signs of this, it is still scary to contemplate. I am committed to taking a Paper Pumpkin with me each time and making cards with Mom. Pap has joined in yet, but maybe next time I will ask him too. Mom did fine following instructions and she quickly showed me that she liked adding her own twist to things.
The Challenge
I am sharing this so that you will also be inspired to do this with elderly people in your life. Their world shrinks and they love to have something meaningful and new to do. My mom right away said that she was going to send one of the cards to her handicapped sister in Holland. I then encouraged her to give another one of the cards to her church friend who is actually in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Next time I cam going to pick up this friend so that they can make cards together. Paper Pumpkin makes this so easy. No prep required, all the fun stuff is in the box. Who will you do this with? Together we can fight Alzheimer’s in a fun and meaningful way.
Your Stories
Please share your stories with me and send pictures of you and your people making cards. I am passionate about making the world better one card at a time. Here is a picture of me and my mom.
Here is the creative mess on Mom’s kitchen table.
It really is heartwarming how much my Mom loved making these cards. She felt so accomplished and full of purpose. It was a nice change from her regular routine and it also allowed us to bond. Most of the cards are going to the Chatham-Kent Hospice where they have an “anniversary program” and they send out cards for the first anniversary of the loved ones death. Most people are having the most difficult time then in their loss process and are often feeling alone and forgotten, so these cards really make a difference.
Here is the link to the short video I did showing the cards close up.
Follow me on Bloglovin’
I will finish this post by letting you know that you can now also choose to follow me on Bloglovin’. There is a link at the top of this post. Thanks to Nancy Newcombe for telling me about this. I had noticed that some of my readers are coming to me from Bloglovin’ but I had no idea how that actually worked, so I looked into it and claimed my blog. Apparently this is a site where you can organize all your favourite blogs to make your life easier. I hoped I helped you with this a bit! Always learning new things and hopefully this will delay my demise as well.
Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you have a super day. If you order online I have heard that there have been some glitches, so please let me know if you are having any difficulties so that I can contact Stampin’Up! about it.
How sweet your mom looks. My mother has Alzheimer’s and I am her caretaker. It is close to my heart and such a devastating and cruel disease. Thanks for helping others. My mom cannot stamp but she has a friend from her church who sends a card each week now for over two and one half years. I miss having my mom healthy. I am thankful for the time I got to spend with her.
I am so, so sorry to hear that Tammy. It is such a cruel disease. Bless you for taking care of her.
Great cards Jackie. My uncle has alzheimers. I think this is a wonderful idea to help them.
Thanks so much Jo. I’m so sorry about your uncle. My aunt had it too. Devastating.
Jackie, I love your giving spirit and this post touched my heart and brain. I went and claimed my blog! I gave you credit in my post this morning with a link to this one. My mother developed dementia at 92 and passed at 93. She would say to me, every morning when I helped her get dressed, “Karen, I know something is wrong with my brain but I don’t know what it is.” Heartbreaking to say the least. However, she never lost her sweet spirit and I still miss her so after 16 years. My father was chosen for the trial of Aricept years ago. He passed before they could get anything concrete with its use but we thought at the time that it was slowing the progression. Glen Campbell’s wife does wonderful presentations on the disease. You can find a condensed one on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1hLi_m-R1I. What you are doing with and for your parents is precious time and memories. Have a blessed day.
Thanks so much for commenting Karen, I appreciate it. I will definitely check out the link you shared. Have a super day and I’m so sorry that you had to go through this with your parents.
This is a heartbreaking devastating disease (my mom had this). I spent as much time as I could with her and wish I had been able to spend more but I was working and living out of town and commuted back and forth. It also affects each person who gets it differently. I wish I had known about Stampinup and Paper Pumpkin years ago. She was an avid crocheted and knitter but when she contracted this disease couldn’t do it any longer. Enough, this is making me too sad.
I’m so sorry you had to go through this with your Mom Maryanne! It’s good that you could be there with her as much as you could. Hugs to you.