A soothing effect: Enfield woman provides therapy to seniors using life-like baby dolls
ENFIELD — Jaime Beebe knows how to ease the anxiety felt by seniors with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
It has to do with giving them lifelike baby dolls to cuddle.
Beebe, a lifelong resident who lives on Raffia Road, spends her free time as a volunteer offering this unique therapy, which comforts and soothes seniors.
Since 2017, Beebe has been collecting a specific type of doll called Reborn Dolls. The dolls are weighted like a real baby and sculpted after real babies, as well as painted by artists to give them realistic facial features.
“Reborn dolls are used for many reasons,” Beebe said. “They’re for people that can’t have kids, people who’ve lost kids, empty nesters, people with anxiety or depression. Some people collect them because they’re doll collectors.”
For four years, Beebe has been taking the dolls to various assisted living facilities across the state for seniors to enjoy. She calls the program Reborns with Reasons.
“I’ve always been a doll lover all my life so I bought one and I couldn’t believe it when I saw it in person and held it. The longer I owned it I started doing a little research on them and that’s what I stumbled across the therapeutic benefits of them,” Beebe said.
She has traveled to 19 different senior facilities, typically returning to many of them weekly.
“It’s become a huge passion,” she said.
Beebe said the dolls take those with memory loss-related illnesses back to a time when they had children or grandchildren.
“These are people that in some cases can’t even tell you what they had for breakfast, yet when you hand them one of these dolls and they start telling you how big their baby was 60 plus years ago — you can just see the change in their emotions,” Beebe said.
Lisa Pho, a registered nurse assistant with The Ivy at Ellington, an assisted living facility, said she — along with other employees there — vividly see a shift in the mood of their seniors when Beebe visits with her dolls.
“The dolls look so realistic that it brings back memories and everyone here loves them,” Pho said. “It makes me happy seeing them so happy with the dolls. Sometimes they’ll be having a bad day, but when they see the dolls they light up.”
On top of visiting senior facilities, Beebe said she also visits a woman in hospice once a week. Beebe said one time she visited a special needs classroom in an elementary school where an autistic child fell in love with one of the dolls after holding it.
Even though the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to her program for about a year, Beebe said she’s happy to finally be back and doing what she loves now that restrictions have been lessened.
“It felt like a piece of me was missing for so long,” she said.
Besides The Ivy, some of the other facilities Beebe has visited include The Residence in South Windsor, The Arbors in Westfield, Massachusetts, and Memory Support of Heritage Hall in Agawam, Massachusetts.
“When you see the smiles that you can bring to somebody through something so simple, it’s just heartwarming and uplifting that it makes me feel so good knowing that I am making a difference for that person,” Beebe said.
6 Natural Treatments to Soothe an Elderly Loved One’s Sore Throat
With several homemade remedy options for soothing a sore throat, your senior loved one can alleviate the symptoms without using medication. Altamonte Springs senior home care experts share 6 natural remedies for a sore throat, and many of the ingredients can be found in your loved one’s kitchen.
1. Cinnamon Spiced Tea
Add one or two cinnamon sticks to 1 ½ cups of boiling water and continue boiling for up to 3 minutes. Remove the cinnamon and use the water to steep your loved one’s favorite tea, then add sweetener and enjoy. Cinnamon has antioxidant properties, and the aroma can open congested sinuses.
2. Ginger Tea
Peel and chop a 2-inch piece of fresh ginger root. Boil the root in 2 or 3 cups of water for up to 5 minutes and strain. Add honey to taste before giving it to your loved one. Ginger has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties in addition to its ability to clear sinuses and loosen and expel mucus.
3. Hydrogen Peroxide Gargle
Combine a capful of regular hydrogen peroxide with a capful of warm water. Ask your loved one to gargle with this solution for as long as he or she can tolerate it. Antimicrobial organisms that thrive in oxygen-deprived environments cannot withstand the effects of the hyper-oxygenated solution.
4. Milk And Honey
When your loved one’s throat becomes dry and raw, a combination of warm milk with honey can help coat irritated tissues while soothing the discomfort.
5. Pomegranate Juice
Pomegranates are a good source of vitamin C and antioxidants, which can help your loved one fight infection. The astringent properties of the juice also decrease redness and swelling by constricting tissues. You or an Altamonte Springs caregiver can also make a tea for your loved one by boiling the rind from 1 fruit in 3 or 4 cups of water.
6. Sage Gargle
In addition to being a popular seasoning, sage is also a time-honored medicinal herb. Along with being antimicrobial, sage acts as an astringent. Put 2 teaspoons of dried or fresh sage leaves in a cup, then add 1 teaspoon of salt and some boiling water. Allow the mixture to steep for up to 20 minutes. Strain and give it to your loved one to gargle throughout the day as needed.
Natural remedies are usually safe and effective and have been used for centuries to relieve symptoms of illnesses. With help from Cintaa Home Care, your loved one can receive the support he or she needs to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle. In addition to encouraging your loved one to try safe, natural remedies, our knowledgeable caregivers can help him or her complete daily tasks such as preparing nutritious meals, grooming, and exercising, and we also offer comprehensive Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Palm beach & Broward County seniors can rely on. Call a Care Manager at 561-963-1915 to schedule a free consultation and learn more about our in-home care services.
