To Dementia Caregivers

I recently had the privilege of teaching a few classes for the University of Nebraska Lifelong Learning Program.  One class was about dementia, and how to get it right with dementia care, using the tools of the DAWN Method.   My goal with the class was to bring hope, ideas, and real practical tools.  And I did that.  But I also…

Continue ReadingTo Dementia Caregivers

The Role of Empathy in Dementia Care

Empathy is a cornerstone for how the Better People Care team gets it right with dementia care.  Empathy-the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.Merriam-Webster Dictionary Extending empathy…

Continue ReadingThe Role of Empathy in Dementia Care

Caregiver vs. DAWN Dementia Specialist Companion – Why The Difference Matters

The folks we provide DAWN dementia specialist care to have lived at least six decades. Meaning they have cared for themselves, made independent decisions, and led their own lives well for a very long time. We understand, then, that rarely will they welcome the notion of “help.”In addition, most have anosognosia, where the part of the brain that gives people…

Continue ReadingCaregiver vs. DAWN Dementia Specialist Companion – Why The Difference Matters

When Dementia is Like a Car

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…

Continue ReadingWhen Dementia is Like a Car

The Power of Putter

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…

Continue ReadingThe Power of Putter

Dementia Converts

© 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…

Continue ReadingDementia Converts

Don’t Make Me Angry!

People with dementia sometimes get VERY angry.  And it is no fun for them, or for those of us with them.  And it seems like no matter how hard we try, we struggle to help them get un-angry.  We both end up frustrated and unhappy and feeling hopeless. So it goes when we don’t understand some of the frequent triggers…

Continue ReadingDon’t Make Me Angry!