A friend asked me recently, “how can you do that work when you have so many people die?”She is correct; my team and I regularly spend our workdays with folks who are living through their final season of life. And we often remain in their lives until they breathe their last. Since December 1 of 2020, four of the people…
Have you ever tried to help your loved one with dementia make sense of their finances? Ever tried to get them to see why they should stop driving? Tried to help them understand and accept why they need help in their home, with their home, and with managing their day-to-day? I spoke with a woman the other day. She is…
Getting it right with dementia is what I have the privilege of doing each day. But it is also very personal for me, and the heart behind my efforts on behalf of those living with dementia. I’ve written about my Grandmother before, in my blog titled, “She Loved Life”. In that blog, I spoke about what she meant to me,…
I was visiting with some new friends recently, most of whom have some idea of the work I do. One asked if I had worked the previous day, which happened to be a Sunday. I said, “Yes. And my friend (with dementia) and I went for three walks, and for a drive in the mountains, and out for lunch, and…
If you are thinking of buying new shoes for your loved one who is older and living with dementia, don’t! I know that we want to do nice things for our loved ones, and we want to feel like we are taking good care of them. But new shoes are not the best idea. Our feet are so incredibly important…
There is hope, and there is beauty in dementia. Turns out there is also healing. Don’t stop reading now because you do not believe me. I’ll try to explain how in the world I could be saying that something as unordinary as dementia could heal us. If you’re still reading, please stop what you are doing and listen to this:…
I am a big fan of comfort care once someone with dementia is needing regular support, supervision, and guidance. I see a lot of folks with advanced dementia being put through doctor’s appointments, procedures, tests, that they are no longer able to understand and that bring considerable discomfort to their days. I teach families that we should use the concept…
We said our final goodbyes last Tuesday to our friend Terry. Our indomitable friend, who said the night before she breathed her last, “I think I’m getting stronger, girls”, as we worked to get her comfortable in her bed. Just eight days before she passed away, we were out and about in the community, doing the things that mattered to…
Dear caregivers, We do not claim to fully understand your each and every day. We have a sense that your work as a caregiver is possibly the most demanding work you have ever done, work that involves layer upon layer of emotion. But we see you, and we hear you. We do our best to bring you hope; hope that…
I spoke with a brilliant engineer not long ago. He has dementia, and was interested in what his future might look like; concerned, really. I tried to give him some ideas, but mostly reassurance that as the people in his life learn how to get it right with dementia, his future will be okay. What made the biggest impression, though,…
