Category: Dementia
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Cognitive Decline: Identifying Alternative Living Communities
Care partners or family members who are also direct caregivers of a loved one with cognitive decline may find it difficult to consider what will happen when the current care arrangement is no longer tenable. This leads some to do nothing until faced with a crisis. Others (recommended) think ahead and prepare by conducting research and putting a plan in… Read on…
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Cognitive Decline: Act Sooner, Not Later!
Families with a loved one experiencing cognitive decline are often slow to recognize and respond to the signs. This is understandable… the information is new and they may not yet be ready to accept what is happening. As a result, they make several common mistakes, thereby missing the opportunity to achieve outcomes that are in the… Read on…
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We All Age Differently
Presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s recent comments about her parents — suggesting that all people decline cognitively as they age — got my attention. It’s simply not true and it made me angry. However, as someone prone to action rather than anger (!), I decided to write today’s newsletter, both to combat age-shaming, as well as to… Read on…
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Ready for Help at Home
I’ve been working with Joan for two years now, coaching her as she provides care to her spouse, Jeff, following a diagnosis of Primary Progressive Aphasia. With this condition, language ability progressively declines. Eventually, changes in memory, attention, judgment, behavior, and personality may also occur. Recently, Joan said she was ready for some assistance at home, something I… Read on…
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You Can Always Say No
In certain industries, we are naturally suspicious about the incentives a salesperson might have to “sell” a product. Car dealers and insurance salespeople come to mind. In healthcare, by contrast, we assume that recommendations being made by providers are in our best interest and we seldom question them. Instead, we passively agree to whatever plan of care,… Read on…