Living the Golden Age (all over again)

[Big Dave]

Greetings,

My name is Dave Fitzgerald. I've been a nursing home administrator in Hawaii for the past 10 years and have a passion for caring for people with Alzheimer's disease (AD).

In several months I will be opening an Alzheimer's unit that I hope will be on par with some of the best in the nation. One thing that I've really enjoyed is trying to bring the past alive in the future facility.

I have not been an antique buff, but this project has led me all over the world (on the net) to find interesting working antiques for the residents to enjoy.

Most people with AD retain their oldest memories and the key is to tap into this memory. In my facility the residents will be in the middle stages of the disease so they will likely have a strong handle on their memories from childhood to possibly early adulthood. From a practical standpoint I'm targeting the 1920's to early 1940's.

Some of the authentic things I've collected or plan on introducing are:
- Wall clocks (a large Gilbert, and a Japanese school clock)
- A desk that has a number of working items (typewriter, candlestick phone, stapler, pencil sharpener)
- Singer Sewing machine with treadle
- For the men I have a set of turn of the century golf clubs from England. I'd like to do more than display them in a case. I'm just not sure how to balance the safety issue. I'm also going to get some softball gloves from the 1930's. I thought the men might enjoy tossing some kind of safe ball around. Maybe it won't work due to loss of motor skills...I'll just have to see.
- I plan to get a nice table top old radio of some sort.

Here's a great link to the Library of Congress photos from the depression through WWII.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fsaquery.html
Enter your word to search. When the results come back hit "gallery view" to see thumbnails.

I've found a lot of pictures that will be great for training staff and more importantly- reminiscing slideshows for the residents. Combine that with music from the era and I think it will be powerful.

I'd like to get your thoughts on items that might be fun to have in the facility and would not be too costly.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Brad Bowers]

Welcome, Dave, and wow! What compassion! That sounds like a great place to live. My stepfather is entering late stage Alzheimer's, and my mother still cares for him at home because there are no facilities at which she feels comfortable leaving him. She went through many different care facilities with my grandmother, and ended up bringing her home until she passed away, so she decided to keep my stepfather home, too. Your facility sounds like the kind of place she'd be comfortable leaving him. Good job, Dave.

Your only problem here is that many of the "Lounge" residents might want to move in, it sounds so inviting.

Brad Bowers

 

[Michaelson]

Hello Dave. Something about all this is familiar. Didn't you also have this discussion at the NAWCC main discussion board a year or so ago when you were looking for a wall clock for your nursing home? If not, there's someone else doing exactly the same thing that you are in Hawaii. Welcome. Regards. Michaelson

 

[Big Dave]

Hi Guys

Thanks fellows for the nice words.

Michaelson, that was me. Yes, I've been all over the net trying to find the real deals from radios, clocks, sewing machines, phones.... I just received a Japanese copy of an Ansonia school clock that Phil S. overhauled. He has been super helpful. I need to put a follow up on the NAWCC board.

I didn't put in my original post, but I'm snooping around here to learn more about the Montecristi's. I thought a classic fedora would go really well with the rest of the facility theme.

Aloha,
Dave

 

[Panamabob]

Dave,

Send an address and when I get settled next week I?Ǭ¥ll get some Montecristis out to you.

Robert

 

[Big Dave]

Woaaa, that's awesome!

Thank you Panamabob.

I will be more than happy to pay for shipping or any other expenses.

I've had this idea for the beauty shop to have a bunch of neat hats hanging on the wall or somewhere for the residents to try on and enjoy. I just have not been able to find hats. Maybe I didn't look hard enough. I did look at ebay a few times but it's hard for a novice to know what to get, what's good priced and such.

At one point I had this vision to camouflage the interior of the main entry door with hats. If the main entry door stands out with glass and a view of everyone entering, some residents gather at the door because they "want to go home." "Home" is from the distant past and no longer exists. So the best thing is to downplay the entry door with a more discrete location or other teqniques. So, my idea was to turn the door and the wall next to it into a hat rack. But, life safety codes and such blew that out of the water.

Thank you, I will email you my address.
Aloha,
Dave

 

[MK]

Originally posted by Panamabob
Dave,

Send an address and when I get settled next week I?Ǭ¥ll get some Montecristis out to you.

Robert

You are a stand up guy Robert. What you are doing speaks volumes about your character. Thanks for your willingness to help.

 

[Panamabob]

Thanks for the kind words.

 

[Michaelson]

Hello again, Dave. Please DO post of your progress at the NAWCC board. I know a lot of folks wondered what in the world happened to you and your project. Glad to see you're still at it. High regards. Michaelson

 

[Big Dave]

Hello Michaelson,

I did post follow up a few days ago. I'm not sure how many people saw it.

http://nawcc-mb.infopop.cc/eve/ubb.x?q=Y&a=tpc&s=2386079361&f=4166015461&m=922004895&p=2

Thanks for asking,
Dave

 

[Michaelson]

Very good. I missed that one myself. High regards. Michaelson

 

[Big Dave]

Web site up

Hi Guys,

Been super busy.

I recently updated the web site...we are on track for an October opening.
http://www.halekuike.com/

Aloha,
Dave