Newsletter A monthly publication from Marshfield Area Purple Angels, Inc.

OCTOBER 2016

Calendar October 6 Memory Café 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Marshfield October 7 World Smile Day October 9 Fire Prevention Day October 14 National Dessert Day October 22 Make A Difference Day October 22 Pool Tournament October 31 Happy Halloween! See the back page to learn more about these holidays and events.

Purple Angels Memory Café Celebrates a Birthday and Looks Back on a Great Year! October marks the first birthday of the Purple Angels Memory Café. Howie Sturtz was guest of honor at our first memory café. Other guests of honor in the past year included military historian Shirley Mook, Santa and Mrs. Claus, Kim Krueger from the North Wood County Historical Society, Newsline 9 meteorologist Tony Schumacher, Marshfield Public Library director Lori Belongia, magician “the Amazing Davis,” and yoga instructor Sue Twiggs. We also had a bingo party and a picnic in the park. It’s been a wonderful year and we’re busy planning for another great year of memory cafes!

Here’s just a few of our favorite moments from the past year….

Caregiver Tip: Sleeplessness and Sundowning Restlessness, agitation, disorientation and other troubling behavior in people with dementia often get worse at the end of the day and sometimes continue throughout the night. Experts believe this behavior, commonly called sundowning, is caused by a combination of factors, such as exhaustion from the day’s events and changes in the person’s biological clock that confuse day and night.

Here are some tips to help minimize the effects of sundowning:

• Increase daytime activities, particularly physical exercise. Discourage long periods of inactivity and napping during the day.

• Watch out for dietary culprits, such as sugar, caffeine and some types of junk food. Eliminate or restrict these types of foods and beverages to early in the day. Plan smaller meals throughout the day, including a light meal, such as half a sandwich, before bedtime.

• Plan for the late afternoon and evening hours to be quiet and calm. Structured, quiet activity is important; perhaps take a stroll outdoors, play a simple card game, or listen to soothing music together.

• Turning on lights well before sunset and closing the curtains at dusk will minimize shadows and may help diminish confusion.

• Try to establish a routine for bedtime, so that the person with dementia goes to bed around the same time each night. Realize, however, that sleeping patterns will change over time. As a caregiver, you will need to adapt routines and be flexible.

Tournament Benefits Purple Angels Jack’s Bar in Marshfield is organizing a mixed couple pool tournamnet, with a portion of each entry fee donated to Marshfield Area Purple Angels. The tournamnet is Saturday October 22. If you are interested in participating (or you know a couple who plays pool who might be interested) sign up at Jack’s Bar!

Garage Sale Update Our first charity garage sale raised just over $1900! Thank you to everyone who donated items for the sale, and to those who came to shop. Because this was so successful, we decided to make the chairity garage sale an annual event over Labor Day weekend. Keep saving your items to donate to us!

Color Printer Donation So what do you think of our newsletter? This is the second editon printed on our new color laser printer that was donated to Marshfield Area Purple Angels. The donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, also donated a year’s supply of ink. Another donor has provided cases of paper. Thanks to their generosity, we are able to publish a monthly newsletter in full color!

Fire Safety Donation We are grateful to the Roger Gilbert Memorial Fund for their donation that helped us purchase fire extinguishers and safety equipment for Margie’s House, our respite care center scheduled to open next Spring. Watch for more news coming soon!

Looking for more information? Check us out! Marshfield Area Purple Angels is an all-volunteer, tax-exempt (501c3) charitable organization serving the greater Marshfield area. Please visit our website www.marshfieldpurpleangels.org and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/marshfieldpurpleangels for more information.

If you have any questions, call Doug Seubert, dementia specialist, at 715-383-0897 or email doug@marshfieldpurpleangels.org.

Purple Angels Team Walk to End Alzheimer’s 2016

Marshfield Area Purple Angels was well represented at the 2016 “Walk to End Alzheimer’s” event on September 17. The team walked the route as a group, with everyone wearing purple and holding photos and flowers to represent loved ones touched by Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. The team stopped for a group photo outside of Off the Wall Custom Framing & Art, the official sponsor of the Purple Angels Team. Their store front was also decorated with purple angels, flowers, and purple lights to show support for dementia awareness. The annual “Walk to End Alzheimer’s” is a fundraiser and awareness-raising event for the local Alzheimer’s Association. Thank you to everyone who walked with us. Marshfield Area Purple Angels was proud to have a team and we look forward to another successful walk next year.

October’s Unique Holidays and Events It’s official: Autumn has begun! The weather is turning cooler and the leaves on the trees are turning from green to gold, red, and orange. And football is back! But the month of October has more holidays than just Halloween. Check these days out:

October 7 is World Smile Day. This day was started by Harvey Ball, the artist who created the original yellow smiley face in 1963. The intent of World Smile Day is to do an act of kindness, or help one person to smile. Why not do both?

October 9 is Fire Prevention Day. Legend has it that Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over a lantern that started the Great Chicago Fire on October 9, 1871. Since then, October 9 has been recognized as fire prevention day. Today is a good day to check that your smoke detectors and fire extinguisher are in good working order. Ensure that all household members know two ways to escape from every room of your home. Have an escape plan and make sure everyone knows where to meet outside in case of fire. Visit www.redcross.org for more tips!

October 14 is National Dessert Day. Celebrate by having a dessert with every meal today!

October 22 is the Mixed Couple Pool Tournament. See the notice on page 2 for more information.

October 22 is Make A Difference Day. Volunteers all around the country will unite for one of the largest annual single-days of service. Since 1992, volunteers and communities have come together on Make A Difference Day with a single purpose: to improve the lives of others. Take some time today to help a friend or neighbor. Rake their leaves or help them with other yard work. Bake some cookies and take them with you to visit someone who might be lonely. Sometimes it’s the smallest gestures that make the biggest difference!