This is an article I wrote for CNN iReports this morning. I think of all the people I have cared for or assisted, this particular family was the most difficult for me to watch as things unraveled in the mind of the husband/father of the family. It is not a cheerful...
You don’t know. Really you don’t. Unless you’ve lived through it, you have no idea. You see a sweet little old lady, bent over, walking on her cane, all smiles and sunshine. What you don’t see behind closed doors isn’t sunshine, but the storms; some small and quick to...
Community question: My grandmother has dementia and her short term memory is almost gone. We are trying to get meals on wheels in to get her a warm cooked balanced meal. She is very stubborn and lives on her own. There is a concern from family members that the social...
Dear Mom, If you remember the mom you were, you don’t show it now. But I remember. That’s why I’m still here with you, and will always do the best I can for you, but it is hard. Hard to watch you decline, hard to watch the care you receive, or don’t receive, and be...
Bogged down Face in a frown Life’s so uncertain My heart’s really hurting The love of my life The one I call wife Can no longer see Or recognize me Her suitcase is packed She must go away To a place that is strange To be watched night and day Bogged down Face in a...
When I started this journey over 3 years ago I thought I had a noble purpose: to take care of my mother. Caregiving is supposed to be a gift. Countless people said what a ‘good son’ I was, and how fortunate my mom was to have such a son to help her. And now we get to...
My dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s about three years ago. After an extended stay at the hospital and stints in two different rest homes, my mom brought him home to care for him herself. She did this despite warnings that it would be too much for her to handle—even...
Let’s be clear: physically aggressive behavior arises in a sizable minority of dementia patients — a German study of nursing home patients published last year put the proportion at nearly 29 percent — but those most endangered are the people with dementia themselves...
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