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,…
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…
When was the last time you spent a few moments lying on your back, in the grass, watching the clouds drift by? It had been a while for me. But last weekend, that’s exactly what I did while enjoying the day with one of my companions with dementia. And it helped me slow down. And breathe deeply. And wonder and…
We all feel valued, and part of life, when we are heard. The same is true for people living with dementia. But, changes in language are one of the common symptoms of dementia and change the way folks communicate. For some folks, they have increasing trouble remembering people’s names, which is embarrassing and contributes to social failures. Or maybe they…
