Alzheimer’s Awareness Inspires Children in their Career Choices

Reasons to Educate Children about Alzheimer's Disease

 #1 - So that children will be comfortable around and interacting with a person who has Alzheimer’s (See January’s Blog)
#2 - Teaching children compassion (See February’s Blog)
#3 - Creating a schedule teaches children how to create a safe supportive environment in which they can thrive (See March’s Blog)
#4 - To prepare children to adapt to future changes that occur on life: Mild Alzheimer’s Disease (See April’s Blog)
#5 - Preservation of Memories: Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease  (See May’s Blog)
#6 - Knowledge of Alzheimer's disease promotes inclusivity by teaching children the importance of treating everyone with respect, regardless of their cognitive abilities: Severe Alzheimer’s Disease (See June’s Blog)
#7 Reducing Stigma - When children understand Alzheimer’s or any type of dementia they are more likely to approach someone who has this disease with understanding. (See July's Blog)

Reason #8 Career paths in healthcare- Children are influenced in career choices by the adults in their lives. Exposure to Alzheimer's education may inspire children to pursue careers in healthcare or research, contributing to the ongoing efforts to find a cure or effective treatments.

Story:  A young boy had a grandmother with Alzheimer’s disease. He loved spending time with her, even when the disease caused her to not know who he was. As he grew up, he fell in love with science, particularly biology. He went on to college and then got his Doctorate in Research Biology and became an Alzheimer’s researcher. 

Information: It’s back to school time. School prepares children for their future and may allow for opportunities to learn about Alzheimer’s disease. Lots of factors influence a child’s choice of career. Just look at the shelves in a toy store. They contain fireman hats, police badges, cowboy clothes and lots of toy medical kits. There is even a game called “Operation.” One of the top factors of a child’s career choice is parental influence or the influence of some other adult in the child’s life.  

When someone in your family has Alzheimer's or any type of dementia, teaching children about the disease and how to interact with your loved one in a positive manner can influence the child’s career choice. Not every child is going to be inspired to be a researcher, but they may be inspired to make a positive difference in the lives of people with Alzheimer’s by exploring careers in medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, music therapy, physical therapy and gerontology, to name a few. 

Activities: 

1. Involve your child in community service for the elderly through school, church, scouts or other neighborhood associations.
2. Sit with your child and make a list of activities they can do with their loved one who has Alzheimer’s or any type of dementia, and then schedule these activities with the loved one.
3. Arrange for your child to participate in a ‘go to work’ day with a healthcare professional in their area (s) of interest. 
4. Check with a local memory care facility or nursing home about bringing your child in to participate in activities. The best contact person would be the Activities Director or Lifestyle Coordinator.
5. Many health care organizations have volunteer opportunities for children. Call facilities and see if there are opportunities like this in your area.

Tips:

1. Involve your child, at their level of ability, in the care of a loved one with Alzheimer’s or any type of dementia.
2. Allow the child to interact with their loved one without your engagement, as long as it’s safe for both the child and your loved one.
3. Look for opportunities to present information on Alzheimer’s disease that would supplement a school homework assignment.

Action: 

1. Watch the free Mackenzie Meets Alzheimer's Disease Story Song Video with your family.

1. Download the PDF that comes with this blog for activities to assist children in understanding Alzheimer’s disease. 
2. Purchase the MMAAP to get even more information, tips and activities to incorporate children into the care of your loved one who has Alzheimer’s or any type of dementia. 
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