When it became obvious that our friend had symptoms that indicated dementia, there were not many things available to occupy her. She was happiest when she was busy, but her abilities were regressing, while her sensibilities were still those of a mature woman. A a thirty- or fifty-piece jigsaw puzzle, for example, was sufficiently challenging to be enjoyable, but puzzles with so few pieces are created for young children. She didn’t always care for the cartoonish picture that she found printed on a puzzle designed for a four- or six-year-old.

It was about 2005 that we began caring for Bernice. There was little available then that was developed specifically for adults with dementia. Stage-appropriate activities were too childish; age-appropriate activities were too difficult.

Conditions have changed a little since then. Things that are both age- and stage-appropriate for adults with dementia are much easier to find.  Indeed, our efforts and writing are in a big way responsible for initiating that change. Our blog, best-alzheimers-products.com, brought the need to the attention of other.

Thousands of hours we spent researching and watching and participating helped us understand what works well as activity and support for people with dementia, and what should be avoided. We know now that appropriate activity changes from stage to stage, and that individual personalities influence .  Years of research, of trials and experimentation, led us to create some of our own products designed for adults with memory and cognitive problems resulting from dementia.

Soon others discovered these unique products. Children and adults with a diverse spectrum of sensory and developmental disorders, including autism and some learning and communication disabilities, respond positively to these unique products as well.

Bernice died in 2011. Holly arranged for a hospice organization to aid in her transition—to provide the comfort care she deserved. We were impressed by and thankful for the intimate care those hospice workers gave her. Now we know, first-hand, just how important the service is that hospice provides to people who are in the final stages of their lives.