If we reduce our understanding of dementia to just an issue with memory or remembering facts, then we will not understand (and likely become frustrated or angry or worse) when our loved one walks outside on a bitterly cold day with only shorts and a short-sleeved shirt and no shoes. We may become frustrated (and maybe think our loved one…
I first learned the term “anosognosia” (pronounced uh-naa-suh-now-zhuh) when I was studying the DAWN Method. It made an immediate difference in the way I viewed folks living with dementia, and the care that I provided for them. Anosognosia is the “lack of ability to perceive the reality of one’s own condition.” (Healthline.com; Tim Jewell; 2/27/2019). As described in the article…
The world lost a good woman last week. A woman whose life was clouded years ago by prescription drug addiction. A woman whose recent years became a tragic struggle with dementia. She was fifty-eight years old. Her husband and her brother and her Mom gave her the gift of remaining in her own home until she breathed her last, when…
When our loved ones have dementia, we set the stage for positive mood, and we manage mood. Mood management is the first tool in the DAWN Method....for good reason. Here are 10 tips to help get your interactions with your loved ones off on the right "mood" foot: 1. When you step onto your loved one's doorstep, take a deep…
