As a caregiver, providing care to a loved one with dementia can be a demanding experience. While it is natural to feel anxious or lonely, successful caregivers choose to focus on the positives of their situation and adopt a proactive approach. Let's talk about some traits of successful caregivers and how they can help transform one's caregiving experience.

It is important to acknowledge that many caregivers face negative side effects. For instance, the average dementia caregiver is at a higher risk of mortality and experiences anxiety, loneliness, and sleep difficulties. In fact, research shows that the average dementia caregiver has a 68% higher mortality rate compared to non-caregivers. Additionally, 64% of them experience anxiety, 40% of them experience loneliness and over 60% have trouble with sleep. However, successful caregiver's approach decreases their risks of all of these things. Though they may experience some of these emotions, they tend to have more...

Today, I want to share one of the most powerful and simplest things any caregiver can start doing immediately to increase how successful they are in responding to their loved one.

Every human brain has something called the negativity bias. That means that it's much easier for us to notice the negative things over the positive things. As a result, you will notice your loved one's difficult, agitated, distressed, and challenging behaviors, more than any other behavior.

That's natural.

You can be the best caregiver in the world, and you will still notice all the things that your loved one does that gets under your skin much easier than anything they do that is lovely or wonderful.

When we understand this information, we are then able to take steps to balance out the negativity bias.

Successful Careblazers do this well. They spend just as much time, if not more, noticing the moments when things are going well than they do talking about and noticing the moments when things are not going...

Are you open to the idea of making a change in your caregiving journey? Are you willing to ask yourself some questions that can lead you to solutions and new approaches? Today I’m going to discuss the importance of being open to new possibilities when it comes to caregiving, and how to train your brain to be more receptive to change.

Our human brains are designed to keep us safe and comfortable, even if that means staying in a situation that is causing us stress and discomfort. As a caregiver, it can be challenging to imagine doing something different, especially when you feel overwhelmed and burnt out. However, it's essential to recognize that staying the same won't help, and that change is possible.

One way to start making changes is by asking yourself a series of questions when you hear someone mention something that could be helpful. Instead of dismissing the idea immediately, try to think about how you could apply it to your situation. What part of what they're saying...

What do NFL coaches, brain surgeons, and criminal defense lawyers have in common?

In this post, I'll answer this question and how it relates to a common question caregivers ask that prevents them from getting the support and information they are so desperately looking for when it comes to dementia caregiving,

This is another episode in a series on controversial and unpopular opinions in dementia caregiving.

I don't think it's okay for us to shy away from the hard topics that I see daily when working with caregivers and that you probably see an experience on a daily.

If you prefer to watch a video instead, click HERE.

There is a common question I hear frequently that I believe holds caregivers back.

I'm sharing it with you today in hopes that it will help you receive the help and support that could be available to you.

So, let's answer the question at the beginning of this post. What does an NFL coach, a brain surgeon and a criminal defense lawyer have in common? They have never...

For the month of April, I'm covering a series of topics on unpopular and controversial opinions in dementia Caregiving. This series is not meant to change anybody's mind on anything. It is meant to open up discussion and have conversation and to think about dementia caregiving in different ways. This series can be helpful no matter what type of dementia your loved one has (i.e., Alzheimer's disease, Lewy Body Dementia, Frototemporal dementia, Vascular dementia, Parinkinsons disease dementia, etc.).

I'm hoping here for the month of April, we can all keep an open mind and hear each other's viewpoints and opinions, and you can feel free to share all of them in the comments below because we have care blazers from all different backgrounds, from all different parts of the world, from all different types of caregiving situations, and I want this to truly be a channel that is helping.

I believe we all don't have to believe the same thing in order to be amazing Careblazers. In today's post,...

Put very simply, neuropsychological testing is a process, a series of tests to determine how well a person's brain is functioning. Care Blazers. 

. Neuropsychological testing can be done on you, on me, on anybody who has concerns about their thinking, and absolutely for people who have dementia or have concerns of.

The process of neuropsych testing is usually a several hour long process where the person will be put through a series of tests, almost like they're back in school, a bit. They'll be asked to remember a list of words, maybe remember a drawing they may be asked to, uh, remember. Numbers in a certain sequence, they might be asked to say those numbers forward.

To say those numbers backwards. They might be asked to connect some dots, put together some blocks. They might be asked to look at pictures and name those pictures. There are so many different specific tests that could be involved in neuropsychological testing, the specific tests. Usually kept secret because we...

As a caregiver, there are so many decisions you're going to have to make, and some of those decisions can feel really heavy. They can feel really big. These are decisions like whether or not to put your loved one in a care facility, maybe put your loved one in respite, or even taking your loved one on vacation with you.

How do you make the right decision?

In today's video, I want to walk you through a simple three step process you can go through whenever you are faced with making any decision. And the best news possible is that no matter what the outcome is of that decision, you don't have to feel bad or guilty about it at all, and you never, ever again have to think to yourself, "I made the wrong decision."

Are you ready? Let's get started.

If you would rather watch a video on this topic, click here. 

One of the reasons people struggle with making a decision is because they have in their mind that there is a right decision or there is a wrong decision....

Careblazer, I don't know if you can hear it right now, but there is a major storm happening right outside of my window, but I am not gonna let that stop me from recording another video for you. So if you hear like some wind helling or blowing, that's because there is a major storm happening right now in Phoenix, Arizona.

Okay, So in this post today, I wanna talk about something that is blocking the behavior change you want to see in your loved one with dementia, the number one. Reason That stops a lot of caregivers from being able to figure out what is going to change the behavior, what is actually going to get the person with dementia to change is you labeling the behavior.

If you would rather watch a video on this topic, click here.

You interpreting the behavior. This is what I mean. But let's take one of the big examples. So many people struggle with the person with dementia, might not want to shower or bathe. When I work with some of my clients...

Over the years, I’ve had the chance to work with hundreds of people with dementia and their families personally on a one to one basis. 

I’ve worked with thousands in the online space through my private programs. 

And more informally, i’ve had some contact and communication with thousands more caregivers through social media- things like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram

Over the years, I’ve started to notice some general themes on what’s made the difference between the caregivers who burn out, give up, and barely recognize themselves in the mirror. And the caregivers that somehow seem to be managing, Somehow are holding on, maybe even doing things they enjoy. 

And it’s not what you would think. Many people think the ones doing the best are the ones with more help, money, and time. And while I wished that for everyone and it would be helpful, it’s not what makes the difference. I’ve worked with...

In this short post, I wanna explain the difference between Alzheimer's disease and dementia so that you never confuse the two of them. Again, there's a lot of confusion about these two terms, and it's no wonder because a lot of the times nobody is really taking the time to explain the difference. So that's what I wanna do here today.

If you would rather watch a video on this topic, click here.

And in order to do that, I want to use the example of cancer. So when you hear that somebody has cancer, you immediately know that person is sick, but you're not quite sure. What type of cancer it is. Could it be lung cancer, breast cancer, skin cancer, or brain cancer, or any of the other cancers? The same thing is true.

When you hear the words dementia, it means that you would know somebody is having problems with their thinking and their functioning, but it doesn't tell you what type is it. Alzheimer's, Lewy body, vascular, frontal temporal, or any of the other dementias out...