I love my father-in-law like he’s my own Dad. Steve and I have gotten along since the day we met and I’ve always looked up to him. Having lost my own dad at a young age, I've always considered myself lucky to have him in my life . Things have been different the last few years with Lewy Body …
Look Closely At The Wellness Office When Searching For a Place For Mom Or Dad
When I was looking for a place for Mom, the Wellness Office should've been on my radar--but it wasn't. There used to be a time when I didn't have to think about dementia, bad colds and infections, and how all of those things could affect Mom. Nor did I think about how essential an amazing …
14 Minutes, 37 Seconds and a Microcosm of My Life as an Alzheimer’s Caregiver
Mom and I spoke a couple of times last Wednesday as we normally do. The morning was a brief hello while the evening was a bit longer. 14 minutes and 37 seconds to be exact and the conversation was a perfect microcosm of the gut-wrenching emotional and sensory roller-coaster that is my Alzheimer’s …
5 Things Not To Say To The Dementia Caregiver In Your Life
If you have a dementia caregiver in your life, you have two jobs: Reduce their stress and make them feel supported. It’s not to fix and it’s definitely not to add to their stress. Make them feel supported and reduce stress. That’s it. Seems simple, huh? I get that it’s not. On one hand, all …
Three Words Drastically Improved Our Life With Dementia
Mom’s life with dementia is the ultimate team effort. Lindsay, my uncle, Mom’s friends, the wonderful staff at her assisted living community and I are all part of Mom's team--with important roles to play. Mom’s demeanor is our scoreboard. Her smiles and laughs are the trophies we play for. In …
Can There Be Beauty in Dementia?
How can there be beauty in dementia? Those two words don’t belong in the same sentence. Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia--they’re all uniquely ugly conditions. Each one wages a dastardly war on the person living with the disease and all who love …
Medication Management in Alzheimer’s Caregiving: A Never Ending Carousel Ride
Medication management in Alzheimer's care is the ultimate trial and error exercise. There is no cure. The name of the game is slowing disease progression and managing symptoms. Prescriptions are written based on hypotheses and degrees of certainty, not on absolutes. There are none of those and …
I Moved Mom to Memory Care. Now I Regret It.
Under the cover of the quarantine, I moved Mom to memory care. And I loathe myself for it. In spite of my boundless regret, I know I did it for the right reasons. It’s the best option for Mom. Courtesy of Alzheimer’s Disease, the (wonderful) support provided in standard assisted living was no …
Art and Science and My Dementia Caregiving Experience
Blending art and science saved my caregiving life and allowed me to help Mom live hers. I was slowly drowning throughout the first year after Mom's official diagnosis. My caregiving to-do list was steadily crowding everything else out of my head and I felt powerless to stop it. Primary care …
