Lasting Joy LLC

🧠 Memory Monday: Why we walk

On National Nonprofit Day, I want to share how the Walk to End Alzheimer’s became part of our family’s story.

Our first walk was in 2020. We walked in memory of Lora’s granddaddy, who passed away from Alzheimer’s in 2019.

In 2021, we also lost Lora’s grandmother—Granny Duck’s mother—to vascular dementia. Her passing added another layer of love, loss, and purpose to why we continue to show up each year.

In 2022, Lora’s mother—known and loved as Granny Duck—became involved in the walk. This was before she received her own diagnosis of vascular dementia. She began by walking for someone she loved, not knowing that our family would soon be walking beside her through brain change too.

The 2023 walk would be Granny Duck’s last.

That year, her great-grandson held the white flower representing hope for a cure. Her grandson and granddaughter-in-law were there with him. Several generations of our family stood together—remembering those we had lost, supporting one another, and carrying hope forward.

In 2024, only days after Granny Duck’s funeral, our family walked again.

This time, we walked in her memory too.

We continue to walk every year for Granddaddy, Grandmother, and Granny Duck, We walk because their lives were larger than their diagnoses. We walk because their stories still shape our family. We walk because giving back is one of the values they left with us.

For today’s Memory Monday, consider asking:
💜 What cause has become part of your family’s story?
🌊 Who first taught your family to give back?
📖 What tradition helps you carry someone’s memory forward?

If you would like to walk with us or support our teams, use the QR codes on the final slide to visit the Angelo or Permian Walk to End Alzheimer’s team pages.

Every year, every flower, and every step holds a thread of connection.
We walk for them. We walk with hope. And we will keep walking. 💜

🌊 Keep the waves gentle & the care joyful.

🛠️ Skill-Building Saturday: Elvis Scarf Dance

Turn a familiar Elvis song into an easy activity that can be enjoyed while sitting or standing.

You’ll need:
💜 Lightweight scarves, fabric squares, or colorful napkins
🎶 Two or three familiar Elvis songs
🪑 A comfortable place to sit or space to move safely

Begin the music and gently move your scarf to the rhythm. Instead of giving several directions, offer one simple invitation:

“Move your scarf with me.”

The person might wave, tap, sway, sing, watch, or hold the scarf. Follow their rhythm instead of expecting them to copy yours exactly.

You can adapt the activity by:
🌊 Moving slowly during a gentle song
🎸 Shaking the scarf to a stronger beat
🤝 Moving one scarf together
👏 Clapping or tapping when holding a scarf is difficult
👀 Simply watching and enjoying the music

Why does it work?
Familiar music can support connection, movement, emotional expression, and participation without relying on memory or complicated instructions. The scarf makes the rhythm visible and gives the hands something light and comfortable to explore.

There is no correct dance. The goal is a shared moment of music, movement, and joy.

Would your person choose a fast Elvis song or a slow one?

🌊 Keep the waves gentle & the care joyful.

🌟 Community Star Sponsor Spotlight! 🌟

A heartfelt thank-you to Faithful Journey Home Care for joining us as a Community Star Sponsor of Gentle Waves Under the Stars! 💜🌊✨

Their generous support is helping us create a welcoming, dementia-friendly planetarium experience filled with wonder, connection, and joy for individuals living with dementia and the people who care for them.

We are grateful to Faithful Journey Home Care for investing in local families and helping bring this meaningful experience to our community. Thank you for being one of our Community Stars! 🌟

🎟️ Registration is now open! Admission is generously provided by Lasting Joy LLC, but space is limited and advance registration is required.

Scan the QR code on the flyer or register here: https://www.lastingjoyllc.com/register-gentle-waves-under-the-stars/

💜 Tips & Tools Thursday
International Left-Handers Day
PAC Skill Spotlight: Hand-under-Hand®

International Left-Handers Day reminds us that many everyday objects and routines are designed around right-handed people.

When someone expects a left-handed person to work from the right, the task can feel awkward, frustrating, or much harder than it needs to be.

The same principle matters when we offer support to someone living with dementia.

As care partners, we may automatically approach from the side that feels most comfortable for us. If we are right-handed, we may position ourselves to use our right hand. If we are left-handed, we may naturally work from the left.

But Hand-under-Hand® is not about what feels easiest for the helper.

It is about supporting the person from their dominant—or most functional—side.

Before offering help, notice:
👀 Which hand do they naturally use to reach?
👀 Which hand do they use for eating, brushing, holding, or pointing?
👀 Does one side appear stronger or more comfortable today?
Then adjust your position so you are supporting from that side.

If the person is left-hand dominant and you are right-handed, the position may initially feel awkward to you. That does not mean the person should be moved to your preferred side.

Move yourself.
Reposition the chair.
Change your angle.
Give yourself room to support their natural movement.

With Hand-under-Hand®, the person’s hand remains involved while your hand offers support underneath. You are working with their movement rather than taking over the task.

Remember:
🌊 Connect before beginning.
🌊 Position yourself on the person’s dominant side.
🌊 Allow their hand to remain involved.
🌊 Support rather than grip, pull, or force.
🌊 If the person stiffens, pulls away, or shows distress, pause and reassess.

The side that feels unusual to us may be the side that feels safest and most natural to them.

As a certified PAC Dementia Educator, I teach Hand-under-Hand® because it can help preserve participation, connection, and dignity. But the skill begins before our hands connect. It begins when we adapt ourselves to the person rather than expecting the person to adapt to us.

Today, notice which side you automatically use when helping someone.
Is it their dominant side—or yours?

Keep the waves gentle & the care joyful. 🌊💜

Hand-under-Hand® is a registered trademark of Positive Approach to Care®.

🧠 Wellness Wednesday
National Wellness Month

Wellness is not limited to medical appointments, exercise, or nutrition.

For someone living with dementia, wellness may begin with something much more immediate:

Feeling comfortable.
Feeling safe.
Feeling heard.
Feeling connected.

When a person becomes restless, withdrawn, upset, or resistant, pause before trying to stop the response. Take a moment to check the whole person.

💜 Physical wellness
Could something hurt? Are they hungry, thirsty, tired, too warm, too cold, constipated, or needing the bathroom?

💜 Emotional wellness
Could they be frightened, frustrated, grieving, embarrassed, or unsure about what is happening?

💜 Environmental wellness
Is the room noisy, cluttered, crowded, too bright, or unfamiliar? Are several people speaking at once?

💜 Cognitive wellness
Are there too many instructions or choices? Would one clear step and additional processing time make the situation easier?

💜 Social and spiritual wellness
Would a familiar voice, quiet companionship, prayer, meaningful music, or a reassuring routine help the person feel more grounded?

Instead of beginning with, “How do we stop this behavior?” try asking:
“What might this person’s body, heart, or surroundings need right now?”

Sometimes the most supportive wellness intervention is not adding something new. It is reducing pressure, meeting an unmet need, or changing our approach.

If distress or behavior changes suddenly, contact a healthcare professional to help rule out pain, infection, medication effects, or another medical cause.

This week, try one whole-person comfort check before redirecting or correcting.

What did you notice when you paused and looked beyond the behavior?
Small steps in wellness create big waves of joy.

Keep the waves gentle & the care joyful. 🌊💜

💬 Talk About It Tuesday

What Happened Before the “Behavior”?

I recently had a medical procedure that left me thinking about how quickly distress can build in unfamiliar care settings.

From the start, the environment felt tense and rushed. I waited without clear communication, and by the time I was brought in, I was already uncomfortable and overwhelmed.

At one point, a staff member made a comment about positioning that included a threatening phrase. Even if meant as a joke, words like that can land as real fear—especially for someone who may not be able to process context in the moment.

Shortly after, I was touched and repositioned without explanation, while multiple people spoke at once and gave conflicting directions.

I could still advocate for myself, but I felt how quickly things could have become confusing or frightening.

Now imagine someone living with dementia in that same situation.

They may not be able to say:
“This hurts.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Please slow down.”

Instead, their body may respond first.

Before labeling someone as aggressive or resistant, we need to pause and ask:

🌊 Was the environment calm or chaotic?
🌊 Did we explain before touching?
🌊 Were we speaking clearly and one at a time?
🌊 Did we respond when something caused pain or fear?
🌊 Did we give the person time to process?

Never use threatening language.
Speak calmly.
Explain before you touch.
Listen when something is wrong.
Slow down.

Because sometimes what looks like “behavior” is actually fear, confusion, or self-protection.

Conversations create clarity and calm.

What could we learn if we always asked, “What happened before the behavior?”

Keep the waves gentle & the care joyful. 🌊💜

💜🌊 Introducing The Gentle Waves Support Group!

Lasting Joy LLC is excited to begin a new 5-session educational Care Partner Support Series, sponsored by Lyndale San Angelo.

Gentle Waves combines dementia education with an interactive, supportive group experience. Each month we’ll explore a different aspect of brain change and dementia care, with time for questions, conversation, shared experiences, and practical techniques you can use in everyday life.

Throughout the five sessions, we’ll explore:

🧠 Understanding & accepting dementia
💜 Common brain changes & supportive techniques
👁️ Sensory changes and their impact
🤝 Navigating challenging situations
🌿 Techniques that can help reduce distress and promote greater calm

Care partners/caregivers, family members, staff, and community members are welcome.

☕ Come learn, ask questions, share, and connect.

📅 Saturday, August 15, 2026
⏰ 10:00 AM
📍 Lyndale San Angelo
6101 Grand Court Rd., San Angelo

💜 No cost to attend.
This 5-session series is sponsored by Lyndale San Angelo and facilitated by Lasting Joy LLC.

🌊 Keep the waves gentle & the care joyful.

🧠 Memory Monday
National S’mores Day

The smell of a campfire or the sight of a toasted marshmallow can bring back summer evenings, camping trips, scouting adventures, family reunions, church retreats, or stories shared beneath the stars.

For National S’mores Day, use this familiar treat as a gentle doorway into someone’s life story.

You might ask:
🔥 Did your family ever gather around a campfire?
🔥 Where did you go camping or spend summer evenings?
🔥 Who usually built the fire?
🔥 Did you like your marshmallows golden—or a little burned?
🔥 What songs or stories were shared around the fire?

Choose one question and allow plenty of time for the answer. There is no need to move through the entire list.

If words are difficult, bring in a sensory cue. Show the ingredients, smell a graham cracker, listen to a familiar campfire song, or look through photographs of camping trips and outdoor gatherings.

Avoid asking, “Don’t you remember making these?” Instead, try:

“S’mores make me think about evenings around a fire. What do they bring to mind for you?”

The person may remember a place, a feeling, a family member, or only the sweetness of the treat. Each response offers an opportunity for connection.

If serving s’mores, consider swallowing recommendations, dietary needs, and whether the textures are comfortable and appropriate.

What memory comes to mind when you think about gathering around a fire?
Every memory holds a thread of connection.

Keep the waves gentle & the care joyful. 🌊💜

💜 Support & Self-Care Sunday
National Book Lovers Day

Care partners spend a great deal of time reading instructions, appointment notes, medication information, care plans, and articles about dementia.

Today, choose something to read simply because you enjoy it.
It might be:

📖 One chapter from a favorite novel
📖 A short story or poem
📖 A devotional or familiar passage of Scripture
📖 A gardening, travel, or history book
📖 An audiobook you can enjoy while resting

Your reading does not have to teach you how to become a better care partner. It does not have to solve a problem or help you complete another task.

It can simply belong to you.

If uninterrupted time feels impossible, begin with ten minutes. Place your phone aside, settle into a comfortable space, and read one page. You do not have to finish the chapter for the pause to matter.

If the person you support enjoys books, you can also sit together with separate books, listen to an audiobook, or look through a favorite collection of photographs. Shared quiet can offer connection without requiring constant conversation.

Rest does not always mean sleep. Sometimes it means returning to a story, interest, or part of yourself that caregiving has pushed into the background.

What book has felt like a good friend during a difficult season?

Keep the waves gentle & the care joyful. 🌊💜

🛠️ Skill-Building Saturday
Wear Your Mother’s Jewelry Day

Jewelry can hold color, texture, personal style, family traditions, and meaningful stories.

For today’s activity, create a Jewelry Story Tray using three to five safe pieces of jewelry. You might include costume jewelry, a familiar brooch, a bracelet, a strand of beads, a watch, or photographs of treasured pieces.
Invite the person to participate in whatever way feels comfortable.

They might:
💜 Sort the pieces by color or style.
💜 Choose a favorite.
💜 Pair a necklace or brooch with an outfit.
💜 Gently polish a piece with a soft cloth.
💜 Wear one item or pose with it for a photograph.

Try open-ended conversation starters:
“Which one catches your eye?”
“What colors do you enjoy wearing?”
“Where might someone wear this?”
“Who in your family loved jewelry?”

Avoid turning the activity into a memory test. If the person does not recognize a piece or remember its history, focus on what they notice and enjoy in the present moment.

This activity works because it combines sensory exploration, visual choice, fine-motor movement, personal identity, and storytelling. It also allows someone to participate without needing to remember names, dates, or specific details.

This day can honor a mother, grandmother, aunt, family friend, chosen mother figure, or anyone whose style and love left a meaningful impression.

Use costume jewelry when valuable pieces could be misplaced. Supervise small items when swallowing or mouthing is a concern, and check for sharp edges, difficult clasps, or skin sensitivities.

Whose jewelry—or personal style—holds a special place in your family story?

Keep the waves gentle & the care joyful. 🌊💜