December 27, 2013: Litchfield County Times
A deck of 50-plus questions printed on cards to help prompt conversations with seniors has been recently launched in Southbury by Kathie Nitz, a professional life and relationship coach and a certified senior adviser.
The cards, according to Ms. Nitz, bridge the gaps between generations by creating bonding conversations and meaningful memories.
Caring Cards feature open-ended questions designed specifically to avoid simple “yes” and “no” answers. The inspiration comes from Ms. Nitz’s experience with her aging mother, who grew increasingly dependent on her to generate conversations as her dementia progressed.
Ms. Nitz said it made her sad because she knew her mother had things she could share with her.
“I felt like it was one-way conversation. It was just me making observations of what we were doing,” Ms. Nitz said,
“The first time I used the cards, my mother said, ‘I really like it, I felt so included.’ Neither of us realized she was present but was not necessarily engaged.”
The cards, originally intended for Ms. Nitz to use with her mother, have expanded beyond aging parents with dementia.
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