Our Best of 2025!

Our staff spends thousands of hours talking to caregivers and people living with dementia. We asked them to share some helpful tools and techniques they used a lot in 2025.

Sara Meins/Adult Day Club Manager: Cornhole, the old-fashioned version with bean bags.  This is one of our favorite games in Adult Day Club.  It requires balance, hand-eye coordination and is also social, as people cheer each other on.  Great stimulation for the brain!

Gail Higginbotham/Dementia Engagement Coordinator: I almost always use large coffee table pictures books for one-on-one engagement.  A calendar with large photos works just as well.  For example, if the person living with dementia was into gardening, they will enjoy large photos of plants.  One of my patients was a mechanic and as we flipped through a calendar of classic cars, he could name many of them!  Almost everyone enjoys looking at photos of animals.

Dr. Maribeth Gallagher DNP, PMHNP-BC, FAAN/Dementia Program Director: One of my favorite “tools” for connecting with someone living with dementia is singing. Singing gives us a way to communicate and connect — as verbal skills decline — enabling social interaction, shared emotion, and a sense of togetherness. It holds the potential to improve mood, lower anxiety, and bring feelings of calm and comfort tapping into emotional and musical memory, even when other types of memory fade. It has been shown to support aspects of memory, attention, and cognition (especially in early to moderate dementia), which helps people stay more engaged with the world and people around them.

Kobie Chapman/Dementia Educator: The STOP card is one of my favorites. It can feel overwhelming to learn all the new strategies and approaches for caring for a loved one with dementia, which is why I love STOP. It's one simple mnemonic you can apply in many situations to help you respond, rather than react, to surprises that pop up unexpectedly.  

STOP- literally stop what you're doing.

TAKE- a few slow, deep breaths.

OBSERVE- What's happening in your body, thoughts, and emotions. Take note of your environment. 

PAUSE & PROCEED- consider the "big picture" goal. Consider options for moving the situation in a way that is more helpful to you and others. 

Calli Carlson/Occupational Therapist and Clinical Education Leader: Red duct tape is something I frequently suggest people keep on hand.  As dementia progresses, it can be harder for people to see subtle contrasts and red duct tape can really help!  You can put it on the edge of stairs, over raised doorsills that are so easy to miss or even down a hallway and towards a bathroom to help people wayfind.

Kathleen Maxwell/Dementia Educator: The “About Me” questionnaire is a useful tool in so many ways. It’s a way to get a snapshot of a person’s preferences and those deeply held memories like musical preferences. We always ask people receiving Supportive Care for Dementia services to fill it out. It’s obviously helpful for professional caregivers who don’t know a lot about the person living with dementia. For example, if a patient used to have a job where she managed a lot of people, it means she was “in charge”. As she begins to need more care, it's important she still has something in her life to "manage." It’s also a great conversation starter for friends or family members who need easy go-to topics for the person living with dementia. 

Amanda Marcum/Music Therapist: Musical egg shakers! These small percussive instruments help encourage your person to interact with music and provide the added benefits of movement.