The Texarkana Alzheimer’s Alliance hosted a Hawaii Day Tuesday September 26, 2017 at Our Place Respite Center. It was a fun filled day full of fun activates set in a Hawaiian themed atmosphere.
“It is said that late September and early October are the best times to visit Hawaii, so we decided now would be the perfect time to transform Our Place into a beautiful Island Oasis,” said Samantha Armstrong, Developmental Coordinator with the Alzheimer’s Alliance.
Our place is a social facility and they focus on stimulating their visitors cognitively to make sure that they are moving and interacting socially, and thinking as much as possible. The help visitors dealing with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s. The event included a Luau, Hula dance contest, ukulele music, a show and tell time and lots of thinking games.
“Everybody’s level are different, but I think you’ll see that we try to include everyone in as much as we can.” Said Armstrong.
Statistics show that one day of respite care can add 23 days to the life of a person suffering with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Their goal at Our Place is to provide a safe and fun environment visitors, and allow caregivers a time to relax or get things done that they may not otherwise have time for.
Allan Wren, Respite Center Director at Our Place, dealt with Alzheimer’s first hand with his father Dr. Herbert Wren, and is why helping other’s with it is so close to his heart. He says it is very important to provide a service like this because as the person deteriorates it becomes very hard to handle, placing stress on caregivers.
They provide services Monday, Wednesday, and Friday’s from 9 A.M. to 3 P.M. and also a Memory Café every 4th Saturday, in which they serve brunch and allow visitors and their caregivers a time to meet a fellowship. They also have support groups for those with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.
“The worst thing for these people to do is become inactive, it is important to stay socially active and fully engaged, and it can help keep the disease from really consuming their lives,” said Wren.
Our Place is a non-Profit organization with the goal of improving the lives and empowering those suffering with Alzheimer’s and dementia with resources for enhancing their quality of life through education and support. They are always looking for volunteers and entertainment for their visitors.
If you would like to help or volunteer you can visit www.alztristate.org or give them a call (903) 223-8021.
