My book, Today I Feel…A Caregiver’s Journey, was published in August 2024. The book is based on the journal that I kept during Deena’s illness. Today I Feel describes the big and small moments in our journey. The book has reflections on laughter, tears, and the strength required to support a loved one and shares…
LIFESTYLE CHANGES: DRIVING
Whenever I read or hear about a Silver Alert, the emergency system that is activated when a senior citizen is lost or missing, I wonder if this is the first time that the person has wondered off on foot or in the car or if this has happened before and this was just the first…
LIFESTYLE CHANGES: FINANCES
I’ve heard more than one story about the significant consequences that have occurred when the person with dementia is allowed to continue to manage the family’s finances. In one case, the caregiver was concerned that her husband was missing payments, making expensive purchases and no longer managing their investments, but she was afraid to raise…
LONG TERM CARE INSURANCE
Long Term Care (LTC) Insurance pays for personal, custodial, or skilled care in your home or a facility. Typically, a policy reimburses the policyholder a pre-determined daily amount to cover the cost of help to assist with the Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), including bathing, dressing, walking, food preparation. As a person ages or suffers…
ALZHEIMER’S AND VERBAL SKILLS
When Deena was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s she was still very verbal. She worried that people would think she was making it up because she could still talk so well. In fact, she was verbal until very late in the disease. Yes, sometimes she would get confused and not to able to think of a…
THE TRIGGER-BEHAVIOR-RESPONSE CHAIN
The Alzheimer’s Association CarePRO class includes a session on understanding difficult or challenging behaviors that a person with dementia might exhibit. The theory is that understanding the cause behind the behavior will make it easier for the caregiver to manage the behavior. Challenging behaviors, such as anger, repetition, anxiety, are a result of changes in the…