A Day at the Beach to Spark Awareness and Memories
Brandywine seniors return to Asbury Park for fun in the sun
In honor of June’s Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, Brandywine Living arranged a day at Asbury Park beaches on Friday afternoon for its Princeton and Brick memory care residents.
“We chose the beautiful beach of Asbury Park – to share this wonderful experience with our memory care seniors,” said the Princeton-located facility’s Escapades Producer Stephanie Gaber. “We set up blankets, chairs and umbrellas and walked in the water.”
The day included lunch from McLoone’s Asbury Grille, located along the Asbury Park boardwalk.
The event was part of the national Go Purple awareness campaign by the Alzheimer’s Association [ALZ]. Brandywine staff wore purple to raise awareness.
While most assisted living communities organize indoor beach parties with food, music and decorations, nothing can replace a real day at the beach, Gaber said.
The outing helped residents to not only make new memories, but to spark a recall of past experiences at the beach.
“It was a wonderful sensory experience that will have cherished memories,” Gaber said.
This was the second trip in just a few months for these seniors. In April, residents participated in a glass blowing class at the Cookman Avenue located Hot Sands studio.
According to ALZ, Dementia is the general term used for the decline of mental ability. Alzheimer’s is a progressive form of dementia. It accounts for 60 to 80 percent of all dementia cases. It is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States and more than 5.4 million Americans are living with the disease. Family caregivers spend more than $5,000 annually caring for someone with Alzheimer’s and the nation will spend more than $236 billion.
[Photos courtesy of Brandywine]
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