empowering caregivers of dementia patients
Covid19 cases are escalating, they are spiraling out of control and it is Christmas My loved one is in an assisted living facility that has shut down all visits. Residents can leave for medical appointments only. My loved one is staying in her tiny, studio appartment. Alone with the exception of meals and medication management. … Continue reading Christmas, Covid19 and assisted living
My loved one with dementia has been attending an adult day health program for three years. Given her early onset diagnosis, this program has been a godsend keeping her active and engaged. She loves going to it and missed it greatly during our pandemic shutdown. This week I learned the program is ending on December … Continue reading And Covid19 keeps taking….
A year ago I attended a seminar and we were asked to send a letter to ourselves. We were given a card and envelope to address. The card was written, I sealed the envelope, handed it in and promptly forgot about it. Yesterday I received the card. It was a surprise to see my own … Continue reading A note to myself
My "plate is full". It is bigger than a plate. It is a turkey platter and sometimes a rolling cart. This week the rolling cart is full and has a bad wheel. That bad wheel is my attitude. My thoughts are driving my attitude and I am very annoyed. There was an event earlier this … Continue reading My attitude
My loved one with dementia is my 58 year old sister.She is two years younger than me. She is single, no family other than siblings and a father who is 91 almost 92. She is disabled. I am her guardian, health care advocate and power of attorney. Yet I feel powerless. She needs supervised care. … Continue reading What keeps me up at night
I usually post on Thursdays, Friday at the latest. This week I was in a virtual training class, Dementia Care Education class for 2 half days. (I included the link because I found the class very informative.) The education helped me to understand dementia and apply it to how my loved one's brain is functioning … Continue reading I tackle worry with education
I am on a journey to understand dementia as it impacts my loved one. Dementia is not the diagnosis but rather a general term for memory loss, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that interfere and impair daily life and the ability to live independently. My loved one has a mixed diagnosis and it includes … Continue reading Memory loss is like a damaged file cabinet