Pearls of Wisdom: Dressing with Dignity in Dementia Care

[00:00:00] Rayna Neises: Welcome to Granny’s Talkin’ Dementia. We’re your hosts, Rayna Neises

[00:00:06] Tonja Moon: Tonja Moon, and we’re in cahoots with The Grand Baby Projects.

[00:00:10] Rayna Neises: offering whimsical wisdom, inspiring support, and joyful engagement for everyone involved in the dementia care journey, whether you’re a family caregiver.

[00:00:19] Tonja Moon: or a professional in the field. Each episode is designed to uplift, educate, and empower you as we navigate this caregiving life

[00:00:28] Rayna Neises: Tonja did you know that it will be wear your pearls day on December 15th?

[00:00:35] Tonja Moon: What? I did not even know there was a such as Wear your pearls day./

[00:00:39] Rayna Neises: Isn’t that crazy? I love these national days. It gave us our theme for today’s episode. And it is all about what we wear, but wearing your pearls was a holiday that was founded by Deanna Burkert, who was very successful in the corporate work, but then she found something that was more important to her.

[00:00:58] And that was sharing her love of Jesus Christ and of her fellow man through inspirational speaking and writing. Literal pearls are not necessary to celebrate the day. Although it’s a lot of fun to wear pearls, at least I think it is. But really this day is about the adversity that we all go through in our lives, which doesn’t defeat us, but it makes us more valuable and more beautiful, just like the grain of sand that gets stuck in the oyster. And it causes that formation of that precious gem, the pearl. National Wear Your Pearls Day is the ideal time to assess yourself of what you are a resilient resourceful and beautiful human being.

[00:01:39] Tonja Moon: Well, I’d be darned. That’s crazy. You know, I just always associate pearls with, the older generation. Because I just can see my grandmother wearing her pearls. But so tell me a little bit more about this, this history. This is so interesting.

[00:01:56] Rayna Neises: So pearls were actually some of the oldest gems that have ever been discovered. They were revered for such a long time throughout written history. In fact, we know that pearls were worn for adornment for thousands of years. And just even fragments of pearls and jewelry with pearls in them have been found all the way back in 420 BC, which they’re also now on display, even in Paris and different places, but pearls were gifts to a Chinese royalty in the early 2300 BC, while in ancient Rome, pearl jewelry was also considered to be the ultimate status symbol. In fact, Julius Caesar passed a law limiting the wearing of pearls to only the ruling class. Isn’t that crazy?

[00:02:42] Tonja Moon: That is wild. That is so, yes. I mean, who knew that’s unbelievable. Okay. So, is like National Wear your Pearls Day, is it like, Just kind of a concept or do we really have to wear pearls that day? Like what’s the deal?

[00:03:02] Rayna Neises: that’s a great question. So I love the fact that, Deanna came up with the concept and definitely wear your pearls. I mean, come on, pull them out. Even I have some great, well, our grainy picture. I have those great big giant pearls on. I love pearls. I think they’re beautiful and definitely very classy.

[00:03:18] But National Wear Your Pearls Day doesn’t really require you to wear pearls. It’s more about the understanding and you don’t even have to have a religious affiliation. It’s just a day that set aside for you to really take a moment and look at your own life and recognize what it is that you’ve gone through in your life.

[00:03:35] That’s made you who you are. And if you have real pearls, I say go for it and go ahead and show them off.

[00:03:45] Tonja Moon: I mean, I don’t think that we, you know, when you really take a minute and sit back and think about how hard it is for a pearl to become a pearl, I mean, it would be interesting to see like how long that process is. I mean, I have no idea, but it’s gotta be pretty long.

[00:04:05] Rayna Neises: Well, and it’s that little sand that gets in there and it’s kind of the oyster’s way of protecting itself. So it’s that scar that then gets wrapped in the beauty of the way the pearl is formed as those layer after layer of them protecting themselves to that irritant.

[00:04:24] Tonja Moon: My gosh, that’s crazy. So just think of that little teeny tiny piece of sand. You know, and it reminds me of like the faith of a mustard seed, how tiny, how tiny, tiny, tiny. That is so amazing. You know, I’ve talked a lot about my grandmother and how she used to dress and she was always dressed head to toe. I mean, head to toe. Every Sunday she had a new outfit to go to church and that outfit typically had the hat, the new purse, the shoes, all the accessories that matched. And so she did, she loved her pearls. And I remember like, um, a pearl brooch, you know, you used to see women wear brooches all the time and it’s not that common anymore. But I remember seeing pearl brooches on lots of older women when I was a child going to church with my grandmother. Oh

[00:05:21] Rayna Neises: My mom had this three strands of real pearls necklace that we were having a dress up day at school for the 50s and she let me wear her pearls to school.

[00:05:34] Tonja Moon: my God. Wow.

[00:05:37] Rayna Neises: I lost them.

[00:05:39] Tonja Moon: You lost your pearls?

[00:05:40] Rayna Neises: You knew that was coming, didn’t You Yes.

[00:05:42] Tonja Moon: No, of course.

[00:05:43] Rayna Neises: Yep. I lost him.

[00:05:45] Tonja Moon: Oh,

[00:05:46] Rayna Neises: I will never forget that. I was so, she, I came home. I had no idea. I came home and she’s like, where’s the necklace? And I’m like, Oh,

[00:05:56] Tonja Moon: my goodness. Now. I do remember. I don’t, it must have been for an anniversary present or something. My dad got my mom, this beautiful string of pearls and, oh, my goodness. She just You know, treasured them but they were very much something that was kind of put away not to bother, not to touch. I mean they were like sacred. We’ve seen in fashion like sometimes you’ll see, um, pearls coming back in the winter when you’ll see things like adorned with pearls and sweaters and kind of stuff like that. But what an amazing, cool story That’s fascinating that it all starts with a little teeny tiny grain of sand and then it’s really unique, a unique day for us to step back and think about all that we’ve accomplished.

[00:06:39] I just, I love that. I love that.

[00:06:41] Rayna Neises: well, those little teeny tiny irritants that we experienced, especially as caregivers, we have to choose to allow the beautiful things to come out of those things. And I do think it comes from spending time to reflect and, and to really think about, all the blessings that we have, even in the middle of the heartache. I think this is an amazing holiday and I hope that everybody will celebrate with us on the 15th and wear their pearls. For

[00:07:07] Tonja Moon: you have to go on our Facebook page. Grady’s talking dementia and we need like everybody posting pictures of themselves wearing their pearls. I mean, how cool is that? And what a fun. story or conversation to sit and have with your loved one that is living with dementia and showing them pearls and maybe doing some reminiscence with them and just to get their reaction and see what they say. And wow, that, that could really, um, result in some, some really nice meaningful moments out there.

[00:07:47] Rayna Neises: sure. I agree.

[00:07:48] Now that you know all about National Wear Your Pearls Day. I know that you will join us on December 15th. Let’s take a break and learn more about our sponsors. We’ll be right back.

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[00:09:00] Rayna Neises (2): Welcome back. We’ve been talking about the amazing holiday of Wear Your Pearl’s Day. And how those pearls are so meaningful and they’ve been around for forever. We’re going to talk more about how dressing impacts those living with dementia.

[00:09:17] Rayna Neises: Everybody dresses differently in our generation we’re definitely not dressing up like your granny used to, and she was on her way to church. My dad definitely had a specific way that he liked to dress. One of the big things was he liked his blue jeans and his belts. He always had a belt on with his blue jeans and he always had everything tucked in. He wore an undershirt underneath everything, even when he went to play sports and things like that. But I think dressing can be one of those challenges that we deal with. How did you handle Nanny’s dressing when she was struggling more?

[00:09:54] Tonja Moon: You know, it was, It was really hard because, her last few years, she was in a, skilled nursing facility or community she was on the long term care hallway. She was so feisty before she got her dementia doll that, um, listen, just getting her dressed was an accomplishment. Who cared if it matched? But the thing that was so hard, it wasn’t so much the dressing her. It was, we were so grateful to get her dressed that what was lost was It was very hard for me and other, other people in our family to see her just disheveled and maybe not matching I remember even, even the last days to see her with, a stain or anything on her, her little nightgown. Oh my gosh, it would just break me into a million pieces because she would never, ever. Leave the house if there was something on her, like a stain or discoloration. I mean, that just no appearance was everything. And that was really, really, really hard that, that was, that was tough to see. So it was, you know, it was, of course, it’s always about maintaining her dignity or your, your the person that you’re caring for, but in so many ways, it’s, it was also like, oh, I just didn’t want to let her down. And if she knew that this is how she looked, she would be disappointed in me or us for allowing it to happen. And so you kind of have to get over that hump, obviously, because she was just in her own world.

[00:11:38] She was happy. She didn’t care. Um, but, but the dressing situation, the more that I, I work with people with dementia nowadays and work along with communities and things like that, it is a big, big, big problem and it is a big, huge challenge because, the people have to be up, they have to be dressed, they have to be dressed appropriately.

[00:12:01] At least in the senior care community world, it is part of a caregiver’s task to take the pajamas off and put on the clothes for the day. And, that is a big task, because if that person doesn’t want that, then, You’ve got a big challenge on your hands, a big, big challenge on your hands.

[00:12:19] And so you have this internal battle of, do I let them be happy or do I accomplish the task list, which says they have to be dressed for the day appropriately. Um, that’s, that’s real hard. I know that caregivers in senior care communities, really, really, that is a big, big challenge. Mornings are going to afternoons very quickly and very easily.

[00:12:41] Rayna Neises: One of the things that I thought was really important as we cared for my dad was really looking at how he did his routines. And I actually was talking to a lady that was talking about dressing her mom and trying to help. And she was putting the shirt over her mom’s head and then trying to direct her arm through one side and the other side.

[00:13:01] And she said one time she was a little late and her mom was a little more with it that day. And her mom put her own shirt on and she walked in the room while her mom was dressing herself. And she said, I’d never seen anybody do this before, but she stuck one arm in and then she put the hole of her head and then she stuck the other arm in.

[00:13:20] And she said, as soon as I started dressing her that way, letting her put one arm in, put it over her head and then put the other arm in, We didn’t fight over it. And so I think it’s so interesting because simple things like that, that’s our routine. That’s how we’re used to it. And when somebody else is trying to do it for us, yes, they’re, they’re trying to help, but when they’re trying to impose their way of doing it on us, then it becomes challenging.

[00:13:45] It’s really important to take a look at, you know, how do they put their pants on? And how do they, do they always sit down? Do they standup, you know, there’s just so much more to it than just putting clothes on. And so I think sometimes really studying the person that we’re taking care of and seeing how they do it for themselves can make such an impact. As that ability diminishes and they can’t do it for themselves. We’re just assisting versus taking over.

[00:14:11] Tonja Moon: right. And it is so easy just to take over

[00:14:14] Rayna Neises: It is, we think it is, but it really isn’t. It really, it’s really easier to, to do it with them than rather than do it to them to quote Teepa. I Teepa Snow always says want to do it with them not to them. And that really is a mindset shift that can make such a big difference. But another thing that I’ve found, we didn’t use this, but I’ve just been amazed at how much adaptive clothing has changed in the last few years. It’s amazing. Tonja, and I will explore how adaptive clothing has changed and how helpful it can be after this message from our sponsor.

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[00:16:30] Rayna Neises (2): So adaptive clothing, you know, most adaptive clothing came from adaptations from general market clothing, the comfort, which began to increase, in the 1950s with new technologies being brought into clothing, like elastic waistbands, and stretchy fabrics. Adaptive clothing is really been created to be utilized by people with all different kinds of disabilities from wheelchair usage, to people with visual disabilities, to those with disabilities that we can’t even see, but we, they still find themselves limited by the construction of typical clothes. So adaptive clothing, it’s such an interesting thing, and it really seems to be taking off and growing and improving in overall appearance these days.

[00:17:17] Tonja Moon: So let’s talk about that a little bit because that’s an area that I’m not familiar with in the world of dementia. I sometimes, see some things used when I’m out working with senior care communities, but I think that it’s becoming more and more prevalent, but I think that it’s also something that’s, that’s fairly new.

[00:17:37] And so, I’m glad that we’re having this conversation because it’s a great learning tool for me personally, because I, I was not when I thought when I think of adaptive clothing, my mind immediately goes to. Perhaps someone in a wheelchair or someone who has special needs in a different way beyond, cognitive needs. And so I’m, I’m excited that you brought that up because, that is just an area of dementia that I haven’t paid a lot of attention to, frankly.

[00:18:09] Rayna Neises: Well, I think it’s been growing and there’s such a need for it, but I love the way that , it’s growing into not those funny looking clothes, not that you would look at it and say, Oh, they look like they have a hospital gown on, which is kind of what it’s always looked like before. It was just open in the back, that kind of thing.

[00:18:26] But it’s actually turning into this whole great line of clothing for seniors. Otherwise maybe known as geriatric clothing. If you were Search for it, but it’s really all different kinds of apparel that have different closures, different things to consider mobility, sensitivity. If you have, compromise motor skills, physical disabilities, and then that cognitive side.

[00:18:49] So it definitely is starting to look at a lot more fashionable. It’s made to be more easily slipped on and slipped off, or Uh, on the other hand, some, people who have dementia have a tendency to want to take off their clothing. And so when they’re, fighting that, then it’s just fastened in a way that isn’t as easy for them to be able to access it to do that.

[00:19:11] So that helps to keep the clothing on, but it definitely can be fashionable as far as the patterns and all the things that they’re doing now. So many of them, when you look at them, you wouldn’t know that it was adaptive clothing, which I think is amazing.

[00:19:25] Tonja Moon: You know, interesting. I, I met with a gentleman a few weeks ago who, has a medical supply company and, but their focus is on urinary products and various catheters and different things like this. And he had mentioned that, they do make pants now for men and women where, if someone has a colostomy bag, for example, that it can be hidden and you wear these special pants and they’re just slacks and you wouldn’t know it.

[00:19:53] And I was like, oh, my gosh, are you kidding? I’ve never seen this, but I guess that’s the point, right? you would, you would see it and not see it. So, I mean, I think about what a difference that would have made during my time with Nanny and during my time of caring for her, just in my own kind of quote head and how I would have felt around her looking better and me not, you know, being so focused on the emotional part of it.

[00:20:24] So I think that it’s. Yeah, I mean, it’s time, right? I mean, it’s probably past nine, but it’s, it’s definitely an amazing, an amazing concept. So where, okay, so keep talking, but I want to know where you find this.

[00:20:39] Rayna Neises: so you can search, there’s all different companies out there and we will definitely add some links to our show notes page to some different companies that are offering some great lines. But I love to that part of what’s going into adaptive clothing is the thought of helping people stay independent. So when we’re looking at someone with dementia, getting some things that are easier to do. And I, Immediately thought of when I read that, I thought, Oh my gosh, there’s this amazing zipper that has a magnet at the bottom. So instead of having to thread that little part into the zipper and hold it down and zip it up, the magnet puts those two pieces together and then allows you just to zip it.

[00:21:18] The number of times that I had to chase my dad down and say, Oh dad, let me help you with that. Oh, it would have been amazing if he could have just continued to zip his own coat. That’s what he wanted to do. That’s what he tried to do. And he would get so frustrated with me whenever I would try to step in and take care of it because he just wanted to do it himself.

[00:21:36] Just some amazing things like that. So common things they’re finding, helping them to undress. Um, being able to have anti slip features, that are designed for difficult for the wear to take off in order to be able to, again, keep them from stripping when they shouldn’t, but the best example of an anti strip clothing is a fastener, that might be placed just in the back. So it’s not that they’re tied in, but just something that’s not easy for them to be able to take off. So it is amazing, they’re making them look like you said, normal, I guess is the right word we want to use, but at the same time having these adaptions as a part of

[00:22:19] Tonja Moon: Sure. Sure. Well, I mean, I would like the zipper magnet thing for myself because listen, as, as you, you know, if you wear glasses and bifocals, good Lord, I mean, everything just gets harder. So that, that is so cool. Okay. One thing that we always are concerned about, um, from a cost perspective, have you noticed that adaptive clothing is. In alignment with just normal, regular costs, or have you seen it’s a little bit more expensive? I mean, I guess just like anything else you’d have to shop right? Just shop around.

[00:22:59] Rayna Neises: Overall, they are more, especially ones that are more fashionable are more expensive. A good quality clothing is not cheap anyway, but it definitely is to get something that doesn’t just look like a hospital gown, The things like having tags on them or having grab loops to just pull the pants up and down can be really helpful. Again, you’re getting a little bit more cost in that. There are a variety of different cost points, but definitely. You’re looking at a little bit more of an investment than just heading to Walmart, that’s for sure.

[00:23:30] Tonja Moon: Sure. Sure. Huh? That’s amazing. That’s amazing. If you think about someone in a wheelchair who spends the majority of their time sitting, you know, it can just become very uncomfortable with their pants constantly sliding down onto their hips or whatever. Or, I just think of me if I’m driving a long distance or I’m in Houston. So if I just drive across Houston, that’s two hours and how uncomfortable you can get just sitting and driving. And so having, A nice pair of pants that are adjustable or that aren’t just so binding, I could see would make just a world of difference.

[00:24:09] Rayna Neises: They actually make pants that have a higher back to them. And so that they won’t slide down as easily. And we don’t have the, plumbers rear going on. Especially for those that are sitting a lot. So there’s ones that are made to just go up a little higher in order to make it more comfortable and to make that challenge not as difficult.

[00:24:30] The other thing that I love is the magnetic closures. They have amazing dress shirts or they look like button down shirts. They have a button on them, but instead of a button that they have to put, you know, weave through the little hole, it’s just a magnet. And so again, it can look really sharp

[00:24:48] Tonja Moon: Yeah.

[00:24:48] Rayna Neises: it being,

[00:24:50] Tonja Moon: And, you know, if you just think about that for a minute, think about the way that your dad would have felt and just the accomplishment of Zipping up that jacket or putting on that quote unquote button down shirt. I mean, what an amazing, amazing, accomplishment. Right.

[00:25:15] Rayna Neises: lives. Like you talked about Nanny and what she wore. We can look like ourselves, we feel better. People comment all the time that I look dressed up. It’s just me. This is what I wear every day. I don’t dress for anyone else. I dress for myself and this is what I’m comfortable in. So it’s not a sweats and a t shirt every day for me. I’m typically have a nice blouse on. That’s just how I like to wear. And so I hope that I will always get to choose and always get to wear what makes me feel like me. And for my dad, he worked in an office for years. He always wore a button down. He didn’t love a tie, but in his casual times, he wore a polo. So he was more likely to grab a polo than to wear just a t shirt when he was going out to dinner or something, but he was athletic. So he did enjoy t shirts and sweats when he was playing sports.

[00:26:05] So as his disease progressed, we ended up going to athletic clothing Pretty much all the time. So we didn’t have to change from the jeans and the polo to the athletic clothing to go to the gym or to go to play volleyball. But I think, again, just options give us all more opportunity to feel like ourselves and that gives us a better quality of life.

[00:26:28] Yeah.

[00:26:31] Tonja Moon: cool thing.

[00:26:31] So, you know, with the grand baby projects, our Dementia Doll Therapy programming, we use dressing and undressing. It is a major component of our entire program. So we hand select all of the clothing for our dementia therapy dolls. We select the clothing based on texture so that it can offer tactile stimulation.

[00:26:59] So things like sweaters, fleece, corduroy, even lace, anything that feels different brings comfort. One of the major exercises that we teach and we train caregivers to do is to dress one of the baby dolls in layers with different textures. And when your loved one is feeling agitated or sundowning or even lonesome and is trying to isolate, engage them to help you undress the baby or the doll, whichever they think it is.

[00:27:34] And just the mere act of trying to unbutton or unzip a sweater takes a very, very long time. Obviously the further their disease has progressed. And so It’s a hand eye coordination dexterity challenge for the person living with dementia, but for the caregiver, it buys you a significant amount of time. So it can take someone 25, 30 minutes to completely undress that doll all the way down to the newborn diaper.

[00:28:08] what would you do with 25 or 30 extra minutes? Well, I know that whenever I cared for, for nanny or, I’m sitting with her or whatever, it was less time I had to walk with her as she was pacing and pacing and pacing or sundowning or searching for an escape or, whatever. And a lot of times people always ask me, why do they do that?

[00:28:30] Why do they do that? And of course it is a brain problem, but it’s also due to boredom. and that’s something that we forget about. And so if you can elicit their help and help me change the baby or let’s change the clothes because we’re going to go somewhere and it’s too cold and the baby needs this or, whatever.

[00:28:51] It’s such a great exercise for, The person to do, but also such a nice little mild break for the caregiver. And so I can just imagine like a fleece jacket with the magnets or, my dad loves to wear, he likes, he started wearing in the past few years and during the winter, um, these vest, just a vest.

[00:29:15] And I often think about, he doesn’t zip them, but just a vest. And, I always think about, you know, how. If hopefully not, dementia ever comes calling, um, how he will be affected by the way that he dressed. Cause he’s very much like a polo type person. And so, he’s not one that’s just going to sit around in pajama pants all day.

[00:29:38] That is not him. And he’s a big guy and he’s strong. And I, I’ve thought about, Oh my goodness, how that’s going to be. A nightmare, frankly, because he knows the difference. So I just, I love this conversation. I love that things are becoming more adaptable and there is passion in fashion. So I love fact, um, yeah, our, our sweet little precious, family members and friends with dementia can still be fashionable. They deserve it.

[00:30:11] Rayna Neises: Yeah.

[00:30:11] Tonja Moon: Absolutely.

[00:30:12] Rayna Neises: I think one thing too, as a family caregiver, I always, when we found something he liked, we bought multiples because fashions change and just the tennis shoes, if you got too much color on it, he didn’t like it. He wanted what he had always worn. And so he, Sometimes that can be a big issue. And so you want to think ahead and go ahead and get multiples of things that they do like and are comfortable in things change. We know that, but there are a lot of those kinds of things that really don’t change what they prefer and what makes them feel like them. So I think it’s an important conversation to have and to really be considerate of, because like you said, part of the dignity of caring for them is to being their advocate when they can’t do that for themselves.

[00:31:00] And just because it’s clothers doesn’t mean it is them. I think allowing them to still express their, their personality and who they are is, is a beautiful gift. And I love with the grand babies that again, you can adjust that as well. In the beginning, you know, it might be matching those conversations that you’re having and putting those outfits together, doing that. Yeah. Even just given some options and let the person choose what they wanna dress the baby in that day, to then, as they can’t make those choices. And that’s overwhelming to, like you said, just undressing to get to that diaper and put something simple like a sleeper on or a. Getting to the point where you’re talking again.

[00:31:41] I mean, great conversation. The sun’s out. What kind of clothes do you think the baby needs today? Are you chilly? Do you need a jacket? Do you think the baby needs a jacket? Just being able to in the moment, have those natural conversations bring so much value that in the moment purpose for both of you in what you’re doing.

[00:32:02] Tonja Moon: Right. It’s amazing how little things like that, when you’re in the midst of caregiving, really you’re in the heart and soul of it and you are feeling tired, exhausted, discouraged, man, getting dad to put on a shirt that he likes that he’s comfortable in is a gigantic win. And it is a great time to step back and be like, you know, a little high five for myself because

[00:32:30] it works.

[00:32:31] Rayna Neises: Yeah, for sure. And shoes. I mean, I think sometimes we don’t think about shoes, but shoes are another one of those things that as people progress, being able to tie the shoe is frustrating. When they have an untied shoe, they see. it and they want to fix it. Their brain’s thinking, I need to fix that, but they don’t know how anymore.

[00:32:50] And so finding those things like adaptive shoes, have more Velcro, they have those slip ons that you don’t have to bend over to get in. And I think of my little Noah, who is my little Grand Baby, and he has these adorable cowboy boots and they have Velcro closures.

[00:33:08] Tonja Moon: oh my

[00:33:08] Rayna Neises: so they’re so easy to get on his feet because those fat little feet don’t fit in all the shoes.

[00:33:13] And so I slide them in there and put that Velcro on there. And I thought about the other day, I’m like, right, there’s adaptive clothing for my little Noah. So there’s all different kinds available for people. And.

[00:33:24] Tonja Moon: That’s amazing. That is so cool. And so Rayna will you link some of those things that you found? Okay. To our like show notes. So I can’t wait to see them. I think that’s so awesome.

[00:33:37] Rayna Neises: Yeah, definitely. We want to be able to share so that people can find what works for them. And definitely if you have suggestions, you have a brand that you’re using, or you found something that’s unusual, took you forever to find that’s just been the perfect thing for your person that you’re caring for.

[00:33:54] In our Facebook group, granny’s talking dementia on the show, page, there’s going to be comments underneath there. We would love to see your suggestions. And I can even move some of those over to our show notes page to be sure that everybody finds those as well. We’re a community and the more that we share those gems, the better we are.

[00:34:11] So.

[00:34:12] Tonja Moon: Absolutely.

[00:34:13] Rayna Neises: Definitely share.

[00:34:14] Tonja Moon: And wear your pearls on December 15th.

[00:34:17] Rayna Neises: 15th is Wear Your Pearls day. Thank you so much for joining us today. It’s been such a blessing to be able to be here with you on Granny’s Talking Dementia. We love to have fun, share stories and tips with you.

[00:34:31] Tonja Moon: Yes, absolutely. So, you know, we’ve got a great blessing and proverb to send you on your way with today. God is always right on time. So here you go.

[00:34:43] May you be clothed with strength and dignity, embracing each day with grace, just as pearls reflect beauty and resilience. Let laughter be your companion and fearlessness your guide as you navigate the journey of caregiving. Remember, you are cherished, capable, and never, ever alone. May you always carry the elegance of pearls in your spirit, shining bright in the face of challenges. Amen.

[00:35:11] Rayna Neises: Amen.

[00:35:13] Tonja Moon: Thanks, everybody.