“I’m not trying to fix my husband’s cognitive skills, I am just trying to have some fun together… and it’s working.”
-JA, wife and caregiver, and learner of the DAWN Method
"Hi Jill, just ran across the interview that you did yesterday and wanted to let you know it was excellent and extremely helpful. My takeaway, and something that I preach as a project manager, is being proactive instead of reactive. The things that you talked about and teach, allow us as caregivers to be proactive and minimize the stress and confusion of being reactive. I'm learning a lot and trying to pass as much as I can along to my wife. I find that her reaction to her mom has gotten much less hurried and is softer. I complimented her on her approach to her mom just recently. So keep up the wonderful work that you do and thank you for what you do!"
This information needs to be shouted from the rooftops!! The instructor seemed to be so compassionate - we need many many more people like that in the medical/aging field. She has studied and understands what the individual is going through and helps caregivers know how to respond to the changing stages their loved ones are dealing with. I also appreciated her saying you could stay in your home with the right adaptations. Independent Living to Memory Care facilities are so horribly pricey, so much can be done to keep the individual at home. It helped me to rethink how I want to 'age in place.'
The Gifts of Dementia Class Participant