My Grandmother’s headstone, resting in the High Butte Cemetery where the sun rises over Chimney Rock reads, “She loved life”. My Grandmother grew up in a sod house in the panhandle of Western Nebraska on land that her father and his three brothers homesteaded. I stand on this land now and wonder how they ever made sod “bricks” for their…
In order to keep my car in its best shape, I trust the good folks at BG Automotive. I trust them because they know cars, they know my car, and they know how to keep it in good shape by preventing problems with proper maintenance. And when my car begins to rattle or sputter, I am confident that BG Automotive…
My friend Dottie. I’ve written about her before. She recently turned 97 years old and I was honored to be with her that day…when her family and beloved friends were not able to be with her because of Covid restrictions. The sad reality is that few residents of senior living facilities have regular visits from family and beloved friends. But…
My good friend Lola is 88 years old and has dementia. She says, “BUSY is the new 4-letter word.” Blaise Pascal, French mathematician, philosopher, and defender of Catholic Christianity in the 1600’s said, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room.” 100% of my good friends with dementia, given a dementia-aware environment to enjoy,…
You may know that the Better People Care “tag line”, or motto, is: “Helping Older Folks Live Fully in Their Own Homes.” To be sure, sometimes “their own homes” refers to one of the senior facilities in which folks now live. But moreso, “their own homes” means the homes in which they live within the community. Homes they often live…
Last week, about twenty residents of a nursing and rehabilitation facility in Greeley, Colorado, held a protest against Covid restrictions on the sidewalks outside their facility. Their hand-made signs said things like, “Rather die of Covid than loneliness”, and “where are our rights as residents?”. The Governor of Colorado’s statement following this protest was “We absolutely understand how difficult it…
I have a question. Or maybe it’s a couple of questions. Questions that I’ve had since the world shut down due to Covid-19. Questions that need to be asked, and discussed, before it’s too late. You see, my friend Dottie turned 97 today. I had the privilege of spending time with her because I am an Occupational Therapist; an “essential…
We believe that our older folks are to be respected, and treated with dignity. That we should interact with them in such a way that they feel valued. That they readily sense that we appreciate their history and the lives they have lived…regardless of how that history might have played out. We have the privilege of spending time every day…
©Jill Couch At Better People Care, we believe the best approach to dementia care is a team approach; where several minds and eyes and ears, each training in the DAWN Method, are paying attention to the lives of our friends living with dementia. And we believe that as we train families, and friends, and neighbors, and church communities, and the…
© Jill Couch “I feel that many people see the terms Alzheimer’s, dementia, and any other disease that causes dementia as large umbrella terms for their simple interpretation: “mindless old people walking around.” I, too, felt this way prior to being introduced to the DAWN Dementia Method…and thanks to my wonderful mentors with Better People Care. I feel that I…
