Dementia is unpredictable to say the least. It can transform someone’s mood, personality, and behaviors in the blink of an eye. When you’re at home caring for a loved one with dementia, these changes can be challenging enough to manage. But what happens when you’re at a restaurant, grocery store, or hair salon?
Staying Calm and Compassionate: A Guide to Managing Dementia Outbursts in Public Read More »
Perhaps you recall having “the talk” with your parents about those cringeworthy pre-teen topics. If you thought that was uncomfortable, brace yourself for how to talk to parents about aging issues and the need for care at home! This can be extremely difficult, for many reasons:
How to Talk to Parents About Aging Issues Read More »
If you think PTSD only happens to those who have experienced life-threatening danger, think again. PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) can arise after any traumatic experience or event. It might surprise you to learn that caring for a loved one is among the main causes of PTSD. However, the condition frequently goes undetected, and thus untreated.
Caregiver PTSD: Risks and Warning Signs Read More »
You’ve been taking care of Mom since her diagnosis of dementia. You’ve been working through many of the challenging symptoms. Yet one day, she looks at you and calls you by a different name – that of her husband or father or younger brother. Do you correct her, reminding her that you’re her son? Should
What Should You Do When a Senior With Dementia No Longer Recognizes You Read More »
Empathy is, obviously, a crucial characteristic of effectively caring for senior parents. The ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes allows you to better meet their needs. However, there is one particular form of empathy that you need to understand as a caregiver in order to guard your own health and wellness: emotional empathy.
Caring for Senior Parents: How to Manage Emotional Empathy and Avoid Burnout Read More »
Pacing. Fidgeting. Wandering. When you start to observe these issues in an individual with dementia, it’s time to do something before they escalate to aggression, agitation, or leaving the home. But identifying why the older adult is feeling uneasy is sometimes half the battle in easing restlessness in adults with dementia.
How to Ease Restlessness in Adults With Dementia Read More »
Does your blood pressure soar once you finally finish filling your cart with groceries, only to find just one checkout lane open and a line of irritated shoppers ahead of you? Or when you arrive five minutes early for a doctor’s appointment, simply to have to wait 45 minutes to be seen? Some people just
Patience When Caregiving: It Takes Practice! Read More »
People around you might be resolving to lose ten pounds, eat healthier, and exercise more, but as a caregiver for someone with dementia, perhaps just getting through every day is challenging enough. The idea of aiming to improve upon any area of your life in this unsettling time might be overwhelming. Even thinking about New
Resolutions for Alzheimer’s Caregivers for the New Year Read More »
Remember during the height of the pandemic, when social distancing was the norm and we needed to settle for virtual visits? One of the most fundamental aspects of being a human – physical touch – was set aside in order to protect us all from harm. However, we promptly found that cutting out physical contact
The Power of Physical Touch: The Benefits of Hugs for Seniors Read More »
We all have bad days and good days, and we’re all entitled to a little negative thinking or crankiness every now and then. If you are caring for a senior who seems to have fallen into a pattern of continual complaining and negativity, however, it is worth exploring whether a health issue may be the
Health Concerns That Can Cause Negative Mood Changes in Seniors Read More »
