If Life were a Movie Reel

If Life were a Movie Reel
Green flower in the woods on sunlight. Sunflare and hellebore in forest. Natural seasonal landscape using as backgrounds or wallpapers. Perspective of beautiful scenery plants in nature.

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…

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The Moment of Now

The DAWN method taught me that with dementia, 3 primary skills are being lost, and 3 primary skills are being kept. Knowing this helps us understand the way a person experiencing dementia behaves.  Two examples of this are:  Losing memory skills - which means they can reminisce well about the past, but lose connection with what just happened.  Diminishing rational…

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The Gift of Time

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…

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Driving Safely as We Age

Anosognosia is the “lack of ability to perceive the reality of one’s own condition.”  (Healthline.com; Tim Jewell; 2/27/2019). Because of this, people with dementia have some awareness that things in their lives are changing, but they have no idea how their cognitive changes are impairing their ability to do daily tasks. Check out the video below. May we learn how…

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A Change is Needed

In December I shared a blog on long-term care insurance, you can read that here. In continuing the conversation with an individual, we discussed how benefits can pay well but only if the person moves into a facility. Long-term care benefits do not pay well when someone remains in their home. But research shows us these people want to remain…

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Slowing Down

Why do I talk at a slower pace? The pace at which we talk to our companions with dementia matters. It is important to make good eye contact, speak slowly and clearly, speak loudly enough that they can hear you, and articulate well! Don’t forget the impact a gentle smile can have. 😀 They have not lost intellect, they just…

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