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Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers here in Sun Lakes. I wish all of you a wonderful day doing the things that make you happy with the people you love. I will be thinking of my mother, who was a wonderful role model for me. This month we also celebrate Cinco de Mayo! This is a fun month. I plan on visiting all our wonderful Mexican restaurants we have here in Banning and Beaumont. Our next meeting and support group will be on Thurs., May 19 at 10 am in the Main Clubhouse Multipurpose Room. There is no guest speaker this month. This will give each of you time to share, if you choose to, and also learn. This group is for you, the caregiver. This program is open to all caregivers. Come see what we are all about. It's free! Don't forget about our program in the Arts & Crafts Room. We care for your loved one while you enjoy the meeting. We offer entertainment, games, and fun. No one is forced to participate. We will do whatever needs to be done to entertain your loved one so you can relax and enjoy the meeting. If you have any questions, would like to learn more about Memory Loss, or would like reading material that we can loan you, call Diane at (951) 769-0130, Doug at (360) 840-5559 or Anne at (951) 845- 8700. Remember we are here to help. COMMUNICATION AND DEMENTIA As the disease progresses, the communication skills of a person with Alzheimer's or another dementia will gradually decline. Eventually, he or she will have more difficulty expressing thoughts and emotions. Challenges associated with communication can lead to frustration. It can be helpful for you to understand what changes may occur so you can prepare and make adjustments. Anticipating these changes and knowing how to respond can help everyone communicate more effectively. There are four stages of communication. Here is the first. 1. CHANGES IN COMMUNICATION Changes in the ability to communicate can vary and are based on the person and where he or she is in the disease process. Problems you can expect to see throughout the progression of the disease include: • Difficulty finding the right words. • Using familiar words repeatedly. • Describing familiar objects rather than calling them by name. • Easily losing a train of thought. • Difficulty organizing words logically. • Reverting to speaking a native language. Speaking less often. • Relying on gestures more than speaking. | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | MAY 2022 | 41 Caregiver Support Group The Creative Writers of Sun Lakes will hold its regular monthly meeting on Mon., May 2, from 1 to 3 pm in the Main Clubhouse Multipurpose Room. Since all of us changed our clocks to Daylight Savings Time last month, we are approaching the summer season. That means any of the creative writers considering a topic in order to generate a poem, a story, or an essay might consider some kind of summer theme. If a summer theme is not in the offing, perhaps an ode to mother, since Mother's Day falls less than a week later. As always, anything goes as to the kinds of writing that is always shared with the group. There is sure to be at least someone in the group who will consider putting some words together to help celebrate Cinco de Mayo, which falls only three days following the meeting. No member of the group ever fails to have something to share, and the others in attendance offer their responses, whether a question, a suggestion, or a nice "thank you." Perhaps, if we do not dance around the Maypole, we will write about it! Regardless, there are always positive and supportive comments about what is being written and shared with fellow writers. Anyone in Sun Lakes is welcome to join the group and share in the positive camaraderie that is always a part of the monthly meetings. Anyone who has questions about the Creative Writers should direct them to Roger Smith at (951) 769-2808 or via email at rlswriter@ verizon.net. He will answer all of your questions; if he doesn't know the answer, he will say, "I don't know." But hey, that is an answer, isn't it?

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