Founder and Executive Director Linda Fodrini-Johnson, MA, MFT, CMC
I had another professional ask me if we had any personal assistants/caregivers at Eldercare that could golf. She has two men in her support group who love to golf – but because of their dementia they might slow down a serious group of golfers and their wives are not interested.
What a wonderful idea as an alternate to a “day care” program to send these men out with someone sensitive and trained in dementia to be their partner for a few hours. It won’t matter what the score is in the “moment” of doing something familiar and being able to laugh and enjoy the outdoors that will bring quality to these guy’s lives. There is an additional cost to pay for the personal assistant, but community courses have reasonable greens fees. And in the end this will not cost much more than a day in a care center with far more enjoyment for the aging golfer.
I have suggested to many families that they find ways for the person with dementia to enjoy familiar hobbies and try to take the anxiety or stress out of the activity. Golfing to enjoy the day (and not the score) as well as giving the spouse some needed respite sounds like a win-win!
Nice post! I will recommend this to some friends down here in LA.
Golfing is a great activity, because it’s secluded, yet outdoors and among people. Another similar activity I like to do is to take a long walk through a park that is not too busy. Like with golf, this gives us seclusion but also access to he public.
I think this is a really fantastic idea. Not only will the fresh air and excersise be benificial, but also the comfort of participating in a sport they once loved. There is probably nothing more pleasing to someone suffering from dimentia than doing something familiar and enjoyable.
Excellent post! This will help me. I feel inspired to come up with fun things for my father and I to do when we are together despite the obstacles that his dementia can produce. Having a professional Caregiver provide the primary care to my father has truly transformed our relationship by removing a lot of the burdens that had altered it to begin with. I would highly recommend it!