About Joan Rothel
a self-taught watercolor artist, she kept busy with many additional talents and hobbies.
She would often describe her creative interests by saying she “liked to make things”.
Sewing, knitting, weaving baskets, building and furnishing a tiny dollhouse, arranging
flowers, and carving wood were just a few of her creative pastimes. She loved to read,
work in the flowerbeds, do jigsaw puzzles, and browse antique malls looking for unique
treasure. As her dementia progressed, she was not able to do so many of these
hobbies that she loved. It was difficult for us to watch her growing frustration as she
could no longer do her favorite hobbies and her restlessness because she longed for
things “to do”.
Our family was given information about Giving Voice Foundation (GVF) through The
Christ Hospital office of Health and Aging. During our first phone call with Kristin, she
told us about their monthly calendar which summarized all activities in the area for
families and individuals with memory challenges. It was amazing to have the
information about the activities for all organizations in ONE place — no more browsing
the internet to try to find an activity that would interest my Mom and also be something
that she could do.
The first program that caught our eye was flower arranging. My Mom and Dad attended
the function and they both really enjoyed it! It was a no-stress activity for my Mom
where she was able to interact casually with others while creating a beautiful floral
arrangement that she took home and enjoyed for a couple of weeks.
When I was in Cincinnati in early December, my Mom and I participated in a tour of the
Taft Museum of Art. We enjoyed a guided, relaxed tour of the museum with smalla
small group of attendees and then finished with an art activity consisting of decorating
some ornaments. The length of time for this outing was perfect and it was an enjoyable
bonding time for the two of us.
My Mom passed away only two weeks after our tour of the museum. Because we
appreciated the support provided by GVF both before and after my Mom’s death, we
chose GVF as a beneficiary organization where friends and family could make
donations in my Mom’s memory. Our desire was to raise the awareness about this
amazing local organization and to help fund their programs so other families could
benefit from their services. We feel that GVF made an immediate, positive impact in our
family as we faced the daily challenges of dementia.
