A children’s book by Linda Stern
This award winning children’s book, written by a mother for her own children years ago has now been published for all parents with children to read. The story is one way to help children come to grips with the effect of dementia on the family. Tess, Linda’s mother, was a child immigrant to America, grew up and became successful because of her own big ideas and dreams. She made things happen. The whimsical illustrations by Jocelyn Heart and the story of Tess combine to reveal that no matter how much a family member may forget, those around them still remember the traits that made them beloved family members. Even when they are gone, they will live on in our hearts.
Please visit www.tessalittleladywithbigideas.com/buy/ to purchase book and we encourage you to gift it on to your family and friends with children so that they might have a better understanding of people with cognitive impairment and dementia.
This year’s partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association represents continued widespread recognition of yoga as a form of exercise and relaxation therapy that offers demonstrated health benefits for all populations, including those with chronic illness. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease which has no cure. It is the most common form of dementia and affects more than 5 million Americans.
The benefits of yoga and meditation for Alzheimer’s patients has been demonstrated in recent studies which suggest these activities can help prevent or even reverse memory loss. One of these was a small study conducted in the U.K. with dementia patients and caregivers, and published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. The study participants reported feeling more social, more relaxed, and exhibited greater overall positive attitudes following yoga and meditation sessions.
“Over the past several years while teaching at local senior living communities I’ve seen firsthand the benefits of yoga for increasing strength, balance and cognitive function in seniors,” says Margaret Townsend, founder of Virginia Yoga Week and the owner of River’s Edge Yoga in Alexandria, VA. “My experience working with this population, seeing my godfather suffer with dementia and my godmother’s struggle to care for him, motivated my involvement with the Alzheimer’s Association. This prompted my commitment to initiate Care for the Caregivers, a campaign to bring yoga teachers together to donate yoga classes to caregiver support groups.”
Ms. Stern will be present at Virginia Yoga Week events doing readings and signing the book.