Morgan and Potts Publish “Treasure for Alzheimer’s”

Saturday, September 26th, 2015

Cognitive Dynamics is honored to announce the release of Treasure for Alzheimer’s – Reflecting on experiences with the art of Lester E. Potts, Jr., by Richard L. Morgan, PhD & Daniel C. Potts, MD, FAAN. The book contains a series of reflections on Dr. Morgan’s experiences using the artwork of Lester E. Potts, Jr. to connect with people who have Alzheimer’s disease or Dementias of other causes.

We are grateful to our editors – Lynda Everman, Don Wendorf, PsyD, proofreader – Ellen W. Potts, MBA, and to our reviewers – Mara Botonis, Cathie Borrie, Rev. Dr. William B. Randolph and Kevin Jameson. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of this book will go to support the documentary film, “Do You Know Me Now?”

The book will soon be available on Amazon.com, but may be ordered now at the link below. https://www.createspace.com/5708351

Do You Know Me Now” Crowd Funding Goes Live on Indiegogo

Friday, May 15th, 2015

DO YOU KNOW ME NOW ?

Life is about relationships, and relationships are built through our unique human traits – the things that make us who we are.  All of us have a story!  And our stories need to be heard.

People who have Alzheimer’s disease or other causes of dementia share our humanity– no one loses their personhood just because they have memory loss or confusion.  And they still need to be in relationship with others who love and care for them.  To truly know someone we must appreciate their life stories, as well as the particular gifts and passions that they contribute to the world.

Do You Know Me Now? is a feature documentary exploring relationship and personhood in people who have Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of dementia.  Our film will take a novel look at what it means to be a person with dementia who is still very much alive and possessing those traits upon which relationships may be built, even late into the disease.  We will highlight the stories of some very special people  and their loved ones who have found ways to connect — who have discovered joy, beauty and self-expression despite the losses.

Relationship that is deep and meaningful is still very much a possibility despite advancing cognitive loss, and should be the standard if we are to create what one of the film’s featured caregivers calls a “culture of compassion.”  Such care calls us to take an empathic journey into the very core of the person with dementia in search of the beauty and relational energy contained within.  We believe that our society cannot afford to lose this human treasure.

We have completed approximately half of the work needed to produce our documentary and are seeking the remainder through this Indiegogo crowd funding drive.  We need to raise $75,000 to finish the film, and get it out to the world. 

Will you help us tell the stories of people with Alzheimer’s and other causes of dementia, to show the world that they are still vibrant souls capable of meaningful relationships?  Will you help us share the hope, end the stigma, and create a culture of compassion?

Thank you for your support!

Dr. Potts Interviewed for U.S. News and World Report Article

Tuesday, December 30th, 2014

Daniel C. Potts, MD, FAAN was interviewed for an article on the use of poetry and other creative arts in the care and treatment of persons with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia.  The article, released today, was written by Kristine Crane, a Patient Advice reporter at U.S. News.

The piece highlights the work of Mind’s Eye Poetry, an innovative organization founded by Molly Middleton Meyer.  Meyer’s inspiration comes from personal experience: she lost both her parents to Alzheimer’s disease.  A self-described “closet poet,” Meyer decided to get a Master of Fine Arts in poetry, and she now facilitates poetry workshops with Alzheimer’s and dementia patients nationwide.  During a workshop, each person contributes at least one line to a group poem – she’s facilitated more than 700 poems this way.

Dr. Potts was asked to comment about his father’s creativity which revealed itself after the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, and which provided the spark to start his own creative fire.  Shortly before the elder Potts’ death, Dr. Potts started writing poetry as a way to combat the stress of his father’s illness.  He and his family published The Broken Jar in 2006, a volume of his father’s art paired with his own poems, and donated the book and all proceeds to Caring Days Adult Dementia Daycare Center in Tuscaloosa, AL, the facility where Mr. Potts learned to paint.  Cognitive Dynamics was founded to bring similar opportunities involving the arts to others with dementia and their caregivers.

As an arts advocate for the American Academy of Neurology, Potts also notes much clinical interest in the healing power of the arts. “People on the front lines are pulling the science and the art together because they are tapping more deeply than most of our therapies,” he says. “We’re going to have to tap deeply into the spiritual and emotional to make a difference in our care.”

The article may be accessed in full at the following link:

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/patient-advice/articles/2014/12/29/unlocking-the-inner-poet-how-poetry-helps-people-with-dementia

Lester Potts’s Art Featured in New Book of Caregiver Meditations

Tuesday, December 9th, 2014

From ClergyAgainstAlzheimer’s comes Seasons of Caring: Meditations for Alzheimer’s and Dementia Caregivers, a first-of-its-kind interfaith volume offering comfort and hope to Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers, their families and friends, clergy and faith leaders, and care professionals. Seasons of Caringis available on CreateSpace. Click here to learn more.

Seasons of Caring includes more than 140 original meditations from 72 religious leaders and care specialists – many of them caregivers themselves – representing  some 17 faith traditions. Each writer draws upon his or her years of experience to offer words of hope, encouragement and understanding to those who are now on this journey, and to give voice to the unique challenges confronting Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers. Contributors speak from the perspective of their distinct faith traditions, yet are united in their support of families facing Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Seasons of Caring will have special meaning for facilitators and members of Alzheimer’s support groups, and will be a catalyst for group reflection, discussion and individual meditation.

All proceeds go to ClergyAgainstAlzheimer’s, a multifaith national network of clergy, laity and faith organizations working to focus our nation’s attention on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, to promote dignity and compassionate care for those with Alzheimer’s, and to support families and caregivers.

Seasons of Caring features the watercolors of Alzheimer’s artist Lester E. Potts, Jr., who discovered his gift of creativity after the diagnosis.  Cognitive Dynamics President Daniel C. Potts, MD, FAAN brought the idea for the collection to the ClergyAgainstAlzheimer’s network, and served as the book’s Editor-in-chief, with associate editors Lynda Everman, Richard Morgan, PhD, Rabbi Steve Glazer, and Max Wallack.

The IV Pillars Model© at Reflection Therapy

Friday, September 19th, 2014

Robert Montgomery, MA, MFT, Alan Swindall, M.Div., MA, MFT and Daniel C. Potts, MD, FAAN have collaborated to develop The IV Pillars Model©, an innovative new therapy for caregivers and persons with dementia/Alzheimer’s disease which provides ways to maintain personhood while preserving communication. The goal of the therapy is to provide a new perspective that informs the caregiver on how to effectively alter their interaction with a loved one suffering from a new Alzheimer’s/dementia diagnosis so that anxiety is lowered and loving, non-verbal interaction is sustained.

http://reflectiontherapy.com/TuscaloosaAlzheimersCounseling.php