1. Educate Yourself and Your Loved Ones Understanding Dementia: Learn about the specific type of dementia, its symptoms, and how it progresses. This knowledge can reduce fear, set reasonable expectations, and empower you to make informed decisions. 2. Create a Safe and Dementia-Friendly Home Minimize clutter: A clear living space helps reduce confusion and agitation. Good lighting: Ensure well-lit rooms to improve visibility and reduce shadows. Secure hazards: Remove objects that could cause tripping, such as loose rugs. Secure potentially dangerous items like cleani ..read more

More than 8 years now, we are caring and loving our people living with some form of Dementia. We live and care for 24 hours a day.  We  start our shift at 07h00 and go home at 19h00, for the new shift to start for the night. Most of the Angels work up to 18 shifts a month. That is around 220 hours a month that we spend with a Loved One. We chose to do this! We were chosen in this life to do this! If they do not sleep at night, we are awake with them,  chatting and serving warm soup or hot chocolate, and try many times to tuck them warmly in their beds.  Or we make a bed on ..read more

” I do not know if my Mother is well cared for, I feel helpless and I am so far away! I worry, because she cries every time a local friend visits her. And she cries when my husband phones (who pretends to be a friend), so I can have a quick chat with my Mother. The facility blocked me from any communication with my Mother, because I am being difficult! All I want is to talk to my Mother, even though she is sobbing through our whole conversation. At least I can hear her voice. Help!!” she said over the phone.  Filled with helplessness and hopeless feelings to help her Mother, she asked f ..read more

  Everyone said it will be inevitable. I fought in my heart, I fought with my whole existence to keep this virus out of Jura! The Virus will not get through the angels standing guard day and night……but it did. It started with a blocked nose. Sinus? Hay fever? Just the sniffles? And three days later…he was dead. And his surname was BOSMAN. Man of the Bush it means. (I have to share with you. He grew up among the beautiful “bush” of Africa, and lived for 30years close to a river sharing the bush with others. He was a man with an incredible sense of humour, always tricking you, joking, bein ..read more

Article Highlights There are different forms of dementia; Alzheimer’s is the most common Dementia progresses in three stages: Mild (early-stage), Moderate (middle-stage), and Severe (late-stage) The 7-stage model of dementia which breaks down the cognitive decline is useful for Alzheimer’s The Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR) can be used to assess other forms of dementia (e.g. Lewy Body Dementia) The progression of dementia can vary widely by the type of dementia and by person Understanding the stages of dementia can help guide care needs as the disease progresses   Overview There a ..read more

  Dementia with Late-Stage Symptoms. While the inevitable death of your loved one is a difficult concept to wrap your head around and accept, knowledge about the future and what to expect may help you prepare both logistically and emotionally when your loved one has late-stage dementia. Dementia Is a Progressive Brain Disease A person with dementia will follow a fairly typical pattern of decline, although the pace at which this occurs will vary. For example, a person with Alzheimer’s disease may initially experience difficulties remembering new information like names, events ..read more

The abuse of elderly people happens in their own homes, while living with family and in facilities responsible for their well being. We must speak up when we suspect that an elderly person is being financially exploited, neglected or harmed by their caregiver. Our constitution protects the rights of all, especially the vulnerable, and this includes the elderly. In South Africa, 8% of the population is older than 60 years. All of us deserve to be respected, to feel dignified and safe where we live. Find out how to spot the warning signs, know the risk factors and how you can prev ..read more

  NEVER!!! I want you never  to come to the point of placing your Loved One in the care of a Dementia Care Home! I never want you to come and visit our Home. I never want you to walk through our gardens, do not look at the peacocks, the chickens, the little ducks around your feet. I do not want you to walk down the passage with me, peaking into people’s rooms. Do not look at their personal belongings, the familiar painting, the comfortable chair with the worn seat, the smiling photos of another life. I do not want you here….. But you will get here… Some day….   And the question ..read more

New research from Johns Hopkins University has identified a variety of biomarkers that can be used to predict the onset of Alzheimer’s disease years before symptoms appear. The study presents nine measures, produced from several decades of data, that can signal the onset of the disease up to 30 years before cognitive decline becomes apparent. Many researchers believe the preclinical phase of Alzheimer’s can commence over a decade before the disease becomes clinically visible. As a vast number of prospective Alzheimer’s drugs have failed in clinical trials, it is hypothesized that the disease ..read more

It is 4 years later and all I know is…it is hard! “Mom, just remember you going to have a lot of residents one day. You only have 4 now. You will not be able to love them like you love these!” My son said. It is 4 years later….and I do! I’ve counted, and 40 people came into my life at Jura. And with them, their families,  I found a place for each one of them in my heart. But it is hard. It is hard to understand the life living with the sickness. It is hard to make sense of it all!  You would think by now I would be fine with all of this! But I am not! I do not want to understand ..read more