Today, I want to talk about some of the most damaging, costly behaviors we often do without realizing it’s putting a strain on the relationship. 

As a reminder,  anything hurting your relationship with the person who has dementia will make it more difficult for the person to want to accept your help  now and in the future. And the idea of “hurting” in your relationship isn’t from your perspective. I know you would never do anything to intentionally  hurt the person with dementia.

But what is your loved one with dementia thinking? Do they think you are helping or do they think you hruting, or hindering, or just getting in the way of them living their life. If you’re person with dementia seems to be pushing back on yoru care efforts and doesn’t seem to enjoy having you around tune in to see if you are making any of these 5 mistakes. 

Remember, no one ever sat down with you to talk about this with you, so...

We spend a lot of time talking about dementia but there are a lot of terms and diagnoses related to changes in thinking that can be very confusing. Today, I would like to talk about mild cognitive impairment. What is it? Is it the same as mild dementia? What does this diagnosis mean for you or your loved one? 

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

Ok Careblazer lets get started. Let first break down the words in mild cognitive impairment. First we have mild meaning “slight” or “minor”, then cognitive which means “thinking”, and then impairment which means “loss.” If we put that all together it really means slight thinking loss or minor thinking loss. These versions may be a little easier to use when thinking about this diagnosis. 

Another term that you may hear used interchangeably with mild cognitive impairment is mild neurocognitive disorder. 

So how does one come...

There are a lot of reasons why mealtime can be stressful when caring for your loved one with dementia. BUT it does not have to be a battle! Today I want to talk about my top 7 tips and tricks you can use to help reduce stress around meal times. At the end I am also going to provide some bonus tips around eating out so read until the end!  

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

Also just as a reminder Careblazer, I did a video a few years ago where I interviewed a nutritionist and we talked about how to get your LOWD to eat and drink healthier. In it we discussed several different things including the mediterranean diet and how to identify possible swallowing issues. Make sure to check that video here out for details. 

Ok, let’s get started.

Careblazer, I don’t need to tell you that caring for your LOWD is hard but when it comes to food, there are a few things you can do to make mealtime a little easier. All of the tips I...

Today, I want to talk about a topic that I have seen many Careblazers struggle with: substance use, particularly alcohol use in their LOWD.

Before I jump into this, I want to clarify that today we are talking about alcohol USE not ABUSE. There is a big difference between someone who occasionally enjoys having a few alcoholic beverages and someone who, even prior to developing dementia, had problematic alcohol consumption. Both of these topics are important and I plan to address alcohol (or other substance abuse) in a future video; however, today we will be focusing on things to consider when your LOWD would like to have an alcoholic beverage.

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

I have heard a wide variety of opinions on individuals with dementia consuming alcohol. I am not here today to tell you what is right for you and your LOWD. My goal today is to give you several things to consider when this situation comes up if this is something...

Staying hydrated is incredibly important for anyone, but getting your LOWD to stay hydrated can be a challenge. Why is that?

You and I can tell when we are thirsty, can get ourselves a glass of water or other drink, and can physically drink it. Is the same true for your LOWD? In many cases a person with dementia’s brain may not tell them they are thirsty or, if it does, they may not be able to tell you what they need/want or be able to process how to get what they want. Furthermore, there may be physical challenges that make drinking more difficult.

Today I want to review some tips for getting your LOWD to drink more. If your LOWD has any problems with drinking or swallowing, make sure you consult with their provider or a speech. 

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

Before we get into the tips, why is it important to stay hydrated? Dehydration can cause problems for anyone but in your LOWD you may notice increased confusion,...

Over the past few weeks we have talked a lot about the brain, particularly the different lobes of the brain and how each lobe is related to symptoms seen in dementia. Today I want to take some time to talk about some other facts about the brain and touch on a few conditions that it is possible your LOWD may also have experienced. 

If you'd rather watch a video on this topic, click here!

Let’s start with a more general overview of the brain. 

A healthy human brain weighs about 3 pounds, is about the same size as two clenched fists put together, and contains about 85 billion cells or neurons. With normal aging and learning, brain cells die and new connections in the brain are formed. This is the underlying process of how we learn. 

In dementia, we know that there is damage or disease in some area of the brain, reducing the number of brain cells in that area. Further in conditions that cause dementia, we see the normal dying, and in...

When your LOWD first received their diagnosis, you were probably given some information or at least a brief description as to how the doctor believes they developed dementia. Often the doctor will talk about various parts of the brain BUT if you are like most Careblazers I have spoken to, you likely remember very little of this conversation. That is NORMAL. When you receive the diagnosis it is hard to take in much else. For this reason, I want to spend some time reviewing some basics about the brain and the impact of dementia on it.  

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

If you remember, dementia is NOT a specific disease but rather a group of symptoms that impacts thinking in at least two areas such as attention, memory, language, or executive functioning to the point that it impacts someone’s daily functioning. Because dementia is not a specific disease, there are a lot of reasons someone may end up with these symptoms;...

Hello Careblazers!

In this week's video, I chat with dementia expert Teepa Snow as she demonstrates exactly how to respond to someone with dementia who is upset. She specifically goes over examples of how to get someone with dementia to change their clothes when dirty and how to respond when someone with dementia wants to go home.

To watch this interview over on my YouTube channel, click here. 

CONNECT WITH TEEPA:

Website: https://teepasnow.com 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/teepasnowvi... 

Tiktok: @teepasnow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teepasnows.pac 

In today’s post I’m going to talk about the differences between two potential ways of approaching care for your loved one with dementia (LOWD): palliative care and hospice. Caregivers and family members often find these topics difficult to talk about so having these conversations early and, if possible, with your LOWD, can be helpful. 

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

So what is palliative care?

Let’s start with the word palliative. It is a fancy way of saying relieving pain or symptoms without addressing the underlying cause. So palliative CARE is where a set of providers address your LOs symptoms regardless of why the symptoms are there. They work alongside your LOs medical provider, who continues to treat any medical conditions your LO has. For example, if your LO has heart disease, their medical provider will continue to try to manage the heart disease through surgeries or medications, the palliative...

Today I want to talk about a topic that can be sensitive for some Careblazers: Hospice.

There are many myths surrounding hospice care and these myths and stereotypes often prevent people from seeking care that could provide them with wonderful additional resources for both their loved one and themselves. 

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

First, as a quick reminder, hospice is medical care that is focused on keeping or improving quality of life for people who have a condition that is getting worse and that is not likely to be cured. 

When people hear the word hospice, they often jump to thinking about a patient who is bed bound and hours away from passing. While this is a situation that hospice can provide service in, it is not the only situation in which hospice is appropriate. Furthermore, this image often drives people away from seeking this service that can be invaluable in a situation like caring for someone with...