Today I want to talk about how to improve self care. I was recently talking to my care course members on a concept that can help reduce caregiver stress and I think it can help many of you so I want to share it here.

If you'd prefer to watch my video on this topic instead of reading, you can do so here. 

As you know, and as I’ve talked about in many previous videos, reducing your stress helps reduce frustration and difficult behaviors in your love one with dementia. I just want to remind you of that because many times when people hear the word self-care the brain automatically assumes its something just for the self, but in reality this is for you AND your loved one with dementia. At the end of this I have a challenge for you based on the concept I’m about to share and I really want you to take me up on this challenge. It’s one thing to read this but it’s a whole different thing to take it to the next level and apply it to your life. I...

Most of my blogs focus on topics such as how you- the Careblazer- can cope with your frustration when your loved one repeats themselves over and over, believes and says things that aren’t true, and does things that make life super difficult on you but don’t seem to realize that they do these things. But this is going to focus on something different.

I want to focus on those of you who have LO’s in the more mild stages that are aware from time to time that the brain isn’t working correctly and are bothered by it.

If you'd prefer to watch my video on this topic instead of reading, you can do so here. 

How do you respond to someone who becomes sad or tearful that they can’t remember the name of their child, or that they forgot what they were doing, or that they said something completely wrong in front of others?

I think what is more common is for people with mild dementia to hide their struggles, get defensive if anyone brings up concerns, cover up...

Today I want to talk a comment someone left under one of my YT videos and it basically said something like, there is no point in getting tested for dementia since dementia can’t be cured anyway.

This is a common thought and because you may also be wondering if dementia testing is worthwhile, I want to talk about some reasons testing can be helpful. 

If you'd prefer to watch my video on this topic instead of reading, you can do so here. 

If you haven’t already watched my video on how dementia is diagnosed, be sure to watch that video because it may fill in the gaps for any questions you have about the testing process. You can watch that video here. 

However, as far as the comment that testing isn’t even needed, let’s talk about this because it’s not exactly wrong. In fact, I am willing to bet that for many of you watching right now, your LO hasn’t even had formal dementia testing, or...

Today, I want to share with you a new way to think about interacting with your loved one with dementia that will reduce the chances they will resist you when you try to give hands on care.

If you have ever tried to help your loved one change clothes, bathe, or help them eat just to find that they pushed you away or rejected your help, then this post will be helpful to you. By keeping this new way of thinking in your mind, I hope you will find that your loved one is more accepting of your help as many other Careblazers have found when using this approach.

If you prefer to watch a video on the this topic, you can click here. 

In dementia, a person often loses the ability to make sense of words. and they can have difficulty following sentences. They may also not understand they have dementia and need help. So when you go to help your loved one (i.e. bring a spoon to their face, wash their hair, or help take off their pants), it’s likely that they will back away,...

Hi there Careblazer.  I’m happy to be back with this week’s topic on delusions and dementia. Many of you are caring for a loved one who believes things that are just not true. Some of them may even accuse you or blame you of things that aren’t true.

There are so many symptoms in dementia...not just memory problems. One common symptom is delusions. Delusions are basically really strong beliefs that your loved one has that aren't real but your loved one believes them to be real. And no matter how bizarre or strange or impossible their belief is, they believe it no matter what.

Some common delusions include things like thinking someone is breaking into their home and stealing things.

Someone spying on them or following them.

Feeling like a spouse is having an affair.

Many times the person they may think is doing these things is often you...the caregiver.

So if your loved one is having delusions and you are struggling for how to respond, then...

Hey there Careblazer.  Today, I want to share 3 things that you may be doing that’s hurting your relationship with your loved one with dementia.

The 3 things likely come naturally to you and in some ways it may even seem like the best thing to do. BUT as I will discuss, it’s actually quite harmful for your relationship. By doing these 3 things, it’s likely that your loved one will start to resent you, start to act out against you, start to tell others about all the awful things that you’re doing which you know aren't’ true and so on. 

If you feel like your relationship with your loved one is strained, then read on to see if you are doing any of these 3 things. Or, if you prefer to watch a video on this topic, you can click here. 

The first thing you may be doing that’s hurting your relationship with your loved one is CORRECTING your loved one with dementia.

It’s pretty natural for for people to...

Welcome back Careblazer. Can you believe it’s the end of 2018?

For some of you, 2018 may have been one of the hardest years ever. For others, 2018 may not have been that bad.

Some of you may have had a loved one diagnosed with dementia for the first time. Others may have lost a loved one with dementia.

And others may be in the middle of caring for the loved one with dementia wondering how much longer all this will last.

No matter what your dementia caregiving situation, I’m confident that 2018 has brought you some challenges. That’s part of the package of being a dementia caregiver.

Since the new year is a natural time to reflect on the past year and think about the year ahead, I wanted to talk about how to make the most out of the upcoming year. If you'd prefer to watch my video on this topic instead of reading, you can do so here.

As a busy caregiver, it’s easy to let the days pass by without much time for reflection or thought. But taking a...

Well hello there Careblazer, welcome back!

Today I’m talking about that awful feeling that brings you down and keeps you down- GUILT.

You Careblazers are good at so many things, and unfortunately feeling guilty has got to be at the top of the list. I want to share with you the one question you need to be asking yourself to help you stop feeling so guilty and how you probably have a double standard when it comes to guilt. I hope you find this helpful. If you'd prefer to watch my video on this topic, then you can do so here. 

Why, oh why, do we feel so guilty? ESPECIALLY, when it comes to doing something nice for yourself or taking a much needed break for yourself. The minute you find yourself starting to feel a little bit of relief, it's like- BAM! Guilt starts to creep in.

It’s like something in our minds tells us that if you are taking care of someone then you shouldn’t be taking care of yourself too. On the surface level that sounds completely...

Today I want to talk about traveling with your loved one who has dementia. I have recently spent a lot of time traveling in and out of different airports and as I was sitting in a terminal one day, it dawned on me how stressful this could be for someone with dementia AND for the person traveling with the person with dementia.

I know the holidays are approaching and sometimes that also means more opportunities for travel so I hope this video can help. Whether you are traveling across town or across country I think the 5 tips below can be helpful for you.

You can also learn about these 5 tips by watching my video here. 

Before I go over the specific tips for traveling with someone who has dementia, I want to take a minute to talk about just how scary and stressful traveling can be for someone with dementia.

In dementia, routine works really well. The more you can get your loved one on a regular routine, the better. When things start to get out of routine, like a trip...

Today, I want to talk about surviving the holidays as a dementia caregiver. If you prefer to watch my video on this topic, click here.

Around this time of year, it can seem like all the commercials, movies, holiday songs, and social media posts is filled with wonderful family gatherings and events. This can understandably be a difficult time for the dementia careblazer.

The holidays can be stressful while caring for someone with dementia. As many of your memories from years ago start to replay in your mind you may find yourself feeling a bit sad as you realize that those events are a thing of the past. I hope this post  and my 5 suggestions can help you manage the coming weeks with some comfort.

Realistic expectations

Holiday traditions of the past may no longer be possible while caring for someone with dementia. Even if the traditions are possible, you want to be careful not to put yourself (and your loved one with dementia) through too many events....