Seniors at Franklin memory care center create joy and new memories while baking dog treats for MADACC
FRANKLIN, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Life is full of memories, though as we get older, we tend to forget some of them. It's estimated 42% of Americans will have dementia after age 55. There are a handful of things though, one doesn't forget.
Some oats, bananas, and peanut butter: the perfect ingredients for resident chefs Joan Weitzer and Patrick Oblin. "I used to bake my own cookies. It made me think about putting all the ingredients and whatnot together. Using my hands, it brings back memories," shared Oblin. Memories, that for some, don't stick around.
"I bake all the time. Even for our kids, i bake. It was not perfect but yeah, I’ve done that for years. Not now anymore since I’m in here, but it’s fun," explained Weitzer.
Baking though looks a little different now that they live at Franklin Place. Seniors have been making treats for dogs at MADACC -- the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission. Stephanie McGregor, executive director at franklin place explained that they try to work with their residents to create activities they'd enjoy, "every resident who lives here has a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer's. We have many different facets about that. Many residents are very participatory in the early stages of dementia that just need cueing or reminders, we have residents very near end of the journey that need significant care with their daily cares."
"It brings back their feel-good memories. Despite their dementia diagnosis, those core memories are still in there." — Stephanie McGregor
Daily activities are meant to emulate what their life looked like before they moved to the center explained McGregor, "You’ll see the lightbulb go on, the memory fire in them with excitement knowing they've done this in the past and it’s brought them joy. Going to do something benevolent and help others. They're very cognizant that we’re helping them in-house and they want to help in the community."
The way residents are helping in the community is by creating a sweet visit with an even sweeter treat for MADACC. "It’s very important for them to feel that engagement before they were in that memory care with quote unquote ‘normal behavior’ and that normal interaction with giving back to the community," said McGregor.
"It’s kind of like, magical. Because it’s like - the dogs obviously love the attention when you bring food or something there. They attack you, they love you. they just are on top of you. They’d lie down and cuddle all over you. It’s a good feel-good for us, at least for me it is. It’s neat to see, neat to feel that" explained Oblin, one of the youngest residents at the center.
While in a room with pets looking for their forever home, some of the residents reminisced over their childhood saying they had dogs growing up. After about an hour outside the center, residents left with lots of laughs and even brighter memories made: "it just brings satisfaction that i was able to provide something to someone and that someone’s a dog, ok that's a dog, it’s an animal. We’re all animals so to speak. It gives me that enjoyment that I can still bring something to someone, something in here from the heart," said Oblin.