The weekend was difficult. Dementia causes a lot of worry and fear for my mom as she experiences everyday life and the cycle of aging. Forgetting why she has pain and various medical conditions, often (like close to daily, all throughout the day) leads to mom worrying and being scared that she has some unknown illness that doctors haven’t found yet. Just because our loved ones have dementia doesn’t give them a free pass from all the “normal” processes of aging. Aging can be challenging … not mov

Dementia Not Witchcraft Pt2

Causes of dementia

Transitions are difficult for our loved ones living with dementia and we can help them by breaking tasks down into manageable parts, slowing down our pace so they have time to process and using short repetitive words and phrases as we also show them how to do something with our body language. We also need help with transitions as caregivers and slowing down can actually speed things up. We can break our own task lists into more manageable pieces and keep remembering to ask the three key question

Being advocates for our loved ones as Dementia caregivers can be a daunting task. It requires us to make decisions on their behalf on everything from diet and nutrition to choosing healthcare providers and even making decisions about medication changes. But as we stay calm and practice regulating our nervous systems with simple techniques like deep breathing, we can stay open to guidance for the next best step. Prayer helps me to trust that I’m being guided by a wisdom that is greater than my ow

Self care and prayer go hand in hand for me as a dementia caregiver, especially when I’m feeling overwhelmed - which can happen at some point every day. It helps me to remember that there is something bigger going on than my thoughts and feelings and a force of love and wisdom that is guiding me moment by moment to make the best choices for myself and my loved one. The better I take care of myself, the easier it is for me to remember this and to calm down no matter what is on my “to do” list. If