It is a topic that brings a lot of concern. Sometimes, the individual is still healthy, eating good meals, and taking care of themselves, but losing weight. This can be a natural part of dementia/aging for some people, becoming less interested in food and filling up more quickly. Listen to the video for more! Additionally, check out this great article…
Our companions with dementia have lost some significant cognitive skills, but we can set the environment up to accommodate those losses and support their strengths. For example, one of my companions has a very important cognitive strength that he gets to live out with our help. He gets to enjoy the beauty of his life and specifically his backyard and…
We too are going to age, and with aging comes changes! Our elders have lived through a lot and they deserve respect, patience, and grace! Check out the video below! https://www.instagram.com/p/CsRZN2qg2Re/
There is hope in the dementia journey. Our companions with dementia can still have a good quality of life and wellbeing even as their cognitive skills change. Even as they experience dementia, there is an opportunity for hope, beauty, and many sweet times together. This is where the DAWN method makes all the difference. Reach out for more information! https://www.instagram.com/p/CrLe1H2AFMw/
This video is a quick reminder to be kind in situations that might be frustrating for you as a caregiver. Our friends experiencing dementia want to take good care of their surroundings and have good intentions in what they do, but often their diminishing cognitive skills get in the way. For example, they might leave a cupboard door hanging open…
When spending time with one of my companions experiencing dementia, it matters how I communicate with them. They are losing contact with the recent past as their memory skills are changing. So when preparing my greeting, I thought about how I could stay in the "moment of now." For example, she will not remember the weather over the past few…
We live our daily lives with a connection to what has happened before and anticipation of what will happen in the future. Those experiencing dementia have diminishing cognitive skills and lose this connection to the past & future. Therefore it is like they are living their lives one movie frame at a time. As their dementia progresses, they will experience…
The best gift we can give our companions with dementia is time, especially in conversations. When speaking with a companion experiencing dementia, don’t rush to fill the open space. Instead, be patient, watch them, and give them time to respond. Watch for a flicker of understanding that lets you know they are thinking and avoid the tendency to fill the…
The Dementia-Friendly Movement has helped society be more aware, kind, and friendly to those living with cognitive change. In a personal setting, like family, we must progress this from dementia friendly to dementia supportive. Through the DAWN Method, I learned 6 tools to meet the emotional needs of people living with dementia. Using these skills we can create and manage…
