Supporting all who care for elders
She was a sweet lady, and not that old. Her dementia was vascular, and the changes in her in the last year had been profound. She’d come to live with her son and his wife because she could no longer cope on her own. In our little townhouse complex, I lived on one side of […]
Here’s How to Blow it When Talking with Dementia Read More »
I’m not good at the dripping tap. Have you ever been cosied into your couch with a riveting book, until your attention is drawn to the kitchen? Drip. Drip. Drip. You’re already disturbed, so you get up to turn the darn thing off. You just get back to the couch when you hear Drip. Drip.
There’s a rhythm to the day in my neighbourhood. Today, I was in at 6:30 to make a special breakfast. Even though my body isn’t a big fan of getting up at 4:00 a.m., there’s something magical about the hush of the dining room when the only sound is one care partner making breakfast. I
Sundowning–Why Life Gets Crazy in the Afternoon Read More »
The middle-aged man walks onto the stage and pulls out a chair. The audience watches in silence as he drags the chair to the back of the stage, positions it in the corner and sits on it. His back facing the audience, he begins. “My name is Brian. I have Alzheimer’s, but it doesn’t have
“I Have Alzheimer’s But It Doesn’t Have Me.” Read More »
“What we had as a couple is gone. Now it’s all about coping with him and the way he acts. I still love him, but I miss normal.” I hear variations of this so often. “My mother is gone.” “I don’t recognize my brother.” “This isn’t the father I knew.” “I wish…I wish…I wish…” There’s
How to Find Normal When Normal Seems Hopeless Read More »
Words aren’t friends for George any more. He used to give lectures, make high-level phone calls, and joke with co-workers in his job as president of a company. Now words swirl in his head, and he can seldom catch the right one. His tongue stumbles and his brow furrows as he tries to tell me
Dementia: It’s Painful When Words Fail Me Read More »
Dementia. Memory loss. Alzheimer’s disease. Confusion. Cognitive impairment. Neurocognitive disorder. What does it all mean? Are these all words used to describe one condition, or are they different? Does everyone with dementia (or whatever term you use) act the same? What can I expect? When a person is diagnosed with dementia or any other term
Confessions About the Remarkable World of Dementia Read More »
Dr. Alice Howland is a renowned linguistics professor, a mother of three grown children, a wife to a loving husband. She was living the dream when her life began to crumble. She forgot a word in a lecture, then got lost on a jog in her neighbourhood. In Still Alice, Julienne Moore passionately portrays the
When Alzheimer’s Comes Too Early Read More »
There are points in life when everything changes. Milestones where you can look back and say, “Here is when life was never the same again.” A diagnosis of dementia can be like that. Probably there were months and even years leading up to that moment when you wondered, suspected or even knew, but it wasn’t
After a Diagnosis of Dementia Read More »
Imagine you are 10 years old. Do you remember the house you lived in at that time? What did it look like? What did your mom and dad like to wear? Did your mom wear an apron and make your favourite foods? Was your dad busy at work all day, and did the family eat
How to Focus Your “Dementia-speak” and Produce Joy Read More »