While everyone else is enjoying the hustle and bustle and the joy of the holiday season, there are many caregivers out there who just want the whole thing over with. Care-giving creates a level of stress unmatched by most endeavors. Add to that the extra stress of family gatherings, gift buying, cooking, and other obligations and it is almost unbearable. How can caregivers better cope with this stress on top of stress? As a caregiver for a loved one with dementia, it is important to try to maintain a sense of familiarity for the one we are caring for. Confusion and unfamiliar changes can be c ..read more

Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, also known as younger-onset affects people younger than 65, many people with this diagnosis are in their 40’s and 50’s, they have families and careers when Alzheimer’s disease strikes. In the United State it is estimated that approximately 200,000 people have early onset Alzheimer’s. Getting a diagnosis for this dementia presents serious problems for people under 65.  Health care providers generally don’t look for the disease in younger patients and it is not uncommon for doctors to say that the symptoms may be related to stress menopause or depression.&nb ..read more

Not your grandparent’s nursing home. The Green House Project is getting a lot of attention recently on PBS/NPR and the New York Times.  The concept is isn’t new but compared to traditional nursing homes the concepts are radical.  The idea behind the Green House project is to create a small home environment for 10 persons in need of long-term care services. This model of care was originally pioneered by the founders of Cairn Park and refined by them the over the years. Cairn Park emphasis is on serving 5 or 6 persons with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia with dignity and meeting each ..read more

There is a huge psychological cost of caregiving and of making difficult care decisions that some professionals are likening to the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. Caregivers may experience symptoms like intrusive thoughts, disabling anxiety, hyper-vigilance and avoidance behaviors. Also the disruptions to normal sleep and eating patterns that result when one is spending so much time on caregiving can create an emotional, mental and physical toll. The caregiver can often feel isolated and alone, or even begin to feel resentful of their loved one. My Loved One Needs More Help Than I ..read more

Moving is the third most stressful event second only to death and divorce, and for those with memory loss it can be very traumatic. When a move is necessary, the experience may be bewildering at best, and traumatic at worst. But trauma isn’t inevitable. When individuals transfer to good facilities, where the staff has expertise in transition, distress can be minimized and will be eased with time. Transfer trauma refers to a severe emotional response to the move and may occur before, during and for several months after the move.  Symptoms may include feeling sad, angry, irritable, depresse ..read more

Most of us have experienced the way music can transport us back to long past memories, can calm us, steady us and move us to feel at one with the world. At a time when my mother who later passed away from Alzheimer’s could no longer recognize me, we could still sing together, which  gave us a great way to connect with shared emotions, take a trip down memory lane and just to simply have fun. Music is also being shown, to be a great way to break through to dementia patients.  The late, Dr. Oliver Wolf Sacks, a highly regarded British neurologist and author, has be ..read more

        While everyone else is enjoying the hustle and bustle and the joy of the holiday season, there are many caregivers out there who just want the whole thing over with. Care-giving creates a level of stress unmatched by most endeavors. Add to that the extra stress of family gatherings, gift buying, cooking, and other obligations and it is almost unbearable. How can caregivers better cope with this stress on top of stress? As a caregiver for a loved one with dementia, it is important to try to maintain a sense of familiarity for the one we are caring for. Confusion and ..read more

    The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise funds for Alzheimer’s awareness, care, support and research.  Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide this inspiring event calls on participants of all ages and abilities to reclaim the future of millions.  Alzheimer’s disease is the nation’s sixth leading cause of death. History: First named the Memory Walk, this event began in 1989 with nine Alzheimer’s Association chapters raising $149,000 from 1,249 participants.  In 1993 Memory Walk grew into an event natio ..read more

                                                     Out of the many precious faculties that dementia robs from a person, artistic ability does not seem to be one of them! While a person with dementia may think the same thoughts or carry the same fears, the ability to transmit those thoughts and feelings diminishes as the disease worsens. Communication is one of the early losses in a person with dementia, yet creative expression could be the key that unlo ..read more

My friend Suzanne came to me one day in tears to talk over the situation with her mother. She knew that I had dealt with my own mother’s dementia care and eventual movement to an assisted living dementia care facility. In fact, back then she had been the one to dry my tears, talk me down from my emotional meltdowns and make me a cup of tea (I am English and we believe that a cup of tea is the answer to everything) After lovingly acting as the main caregiver to her mom for many years who was diagnosed with Lewy Bodies dementia, it had come to that difficult place where her mother’s dementia was ..read more