Hello Everyone,
  I have been reading, relating to, and  learning from your posts for
almost a year. I moved my parents from Va to NJ thinking I would provide
the help they needed in an independent assisted living situation. Within
three months, we were all blessed that there was another part of the
community that housed more assistance as well as a memory unit for my
father's (89) AD, which we had all denied and I hadn't seen on my
visits.. My mom, his wife of 63 years, shares a room with him. They are
five minutes from me and I take them out or visit daily. My dad still
recognizes and appreciates us - so we're blessed yet again.
   I found some old negatives among their belongings and upon having
them developed, they turned out to be a glamour picture of my mom in the
30's with that hairdo and one of my dad in his high school football
uniform. A favorite game at the residence is Trivia so I called the
activity director (who is an angel) and asked if I could find some black
and white photos of stars from the 30's for the group to identify and
she could put my parents pictures in with them and my parents could be
surprised when they see these long forgotten photos mixed in with the
others. They could be stars for the day. I taught for 25 years so many
of the games that are played there are familiar to those I played with
my students.
  In that way I'm going to help her come up with a star of the day with
the other residents.
Thanks for letting me share. God Bless to those who can care for their
LO at home. For a month, I had a mom recovering from a stroke and my dad
trying to wander despite disguised and bell rigged doors. Y'all easily
know what that is and more. But there are certainly rewards. (Sorry this
got so long, but I've been quiet a long time.)
Holly