Some guys want to be cowboys. This guy was a cowboy. A real-life, cattle-raising, horse-riding, lover-of-the-land kind of cowboy. He dressed like a cowboy, and it was clear he had worked hard all of his life. But it took just a few moments to witness the twinkle in his eye, the good humor, and the happy man that added a…
A Tribute To A Mom Whom Her Daughters Adored In this story of tribute, the story highlights the efforts of two girls, the daughters of a beloved mother who was experiencing Lewy body disease and all that this reality brought. You see, her two daughters devoted the last several years to caring for their mom. First, living in the home…
“We are all just doing our best, and that’s the best we can do. If that’s not good enough for someone, they can just go down the road.” - Wise words from my companion experiencing advanced dementia. When people experiencing dementia are in a companionable, dementia-supportive situation, where they can express themselves without judgment or correction, they will share…
The last time I spent time with her, we read her devotions, just like we always did. We enjoyed the flower catalog and one of her scrapbooks, just like usual. We pulled up the hymn "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" and read the lyrics while we sang along. It was getting harder for her to walk. It was harder…
She was a class act. She was learned, well-read, and intelligent. A librarian at heart and by profession. She was an explorer and a learner. She was gifted in photography and design; a natural at bringing beauty from the outside into her home. Her mom had Alzheimer’s disease, and she regularly declared that she would, too. So when her cognition…
I was privileged to be a guest on my neighbor's compelling podcast, Unexpected Happiness, where she features people who have experienced happiness in unexpected ways, unexpected situations. In our time together, I had the privilege of sharing how spending my days with people living life with dementia have changed my life. How relaxing into their way of life has brought…
In a recent conversation with one of my companions, she shared that she still feels she can live life fully and be part of the world around her! We are creating a dementia-supportive experience of the world for her - this is what the DAWN method is all about! https://www.instagram.com/p/DTbDlpHlZIs/
