Author Loretta Veny published a book called “Being My Mom’s Mom,” in part to help her pay for her care for her mother who was suffering from dementia. She found a novel way to communicate with her mom: Legos. “When you put the Lego bricks out, it’s like they come alive again,” she says of her experiences with people who have dementia. She got the idea from her career in security management and training, when she used to put out the building blocks for emergency planning and tabletop evaluation exercises. She recalls a pivotal moment just after the doctor’s appointment when her mother was first officially diagnosed with dementia. In the car ride home, she gave her mom a bunch of Legos and said, “Build how you feel.” Her mother took the head off the Lego person in her hands and said to her daughter,” I’m afraid that years from now, I’m going to lose my head.” Ms. Veney says, “That was the most profound way to describe what was coming.” In the middle days of dementia, her mother could still build with Legos and create a story. Clicking Lego bricks together gave her a voice,” said Ms. Veney.
