This article was written specifically for the Nation Catholic Partnership on Disability on September 1, 2020. Below is an excerpt with a link to the NCPD website. Please check out this great organization. ______ Meet Mr. J, who was very active in ministry at his Catholic parish. He can be very loud and repeats the same three phrases when you meet him, but is joyful as he sings all of the right words to each hymn in Mass ..read more

This is the 19th installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more. On this journey with dementia, creativity and fun is something that you may not think of, yet it is a key to filling this journey with life. Geriatrician William Thomas wrote about the “plagues of institutionalism: helplessness, boredom, and loneliness” in his book “A Life Worth Living: How Someone You Love Can Still Enjoy Life in a Nursing Home-The Eden Alternative in Action ..read more

This is the 18th installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more. Sometimes in the course of dementia, your loved one may exhibit “behavioral expressions.”  These used to be called “problem behaviors” and they were named, I suspect, not because it offended anyone (although it could), but because “expression” is a more accurate way of looking at our loved one ..read more

This is the 17th installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more. If you are living with dementia, how are you sleeping? If you are a care partner, how about you? Many of us experience sleep disturbances due to the dementia condition, as well as stress and anxiety of care partnering.  Many care partners tell me about not sleeping well for fear that their spouse or parent is going to pace inside the home all night ..read more

This is the 16th installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more. In CDS #9, we discussed making your healthcare wishes know as it relates to a healthcare proxy and living will at the end of life. In this article, we will step back a bit and discuss what matters overall in life that will influence end of life care wishes ..read more

This is the 15th installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more. **Join us live for the July 25, 2020 Live Rosary and Dementia Q&A with Care Partner Matt Dineen. Matt will talk about his role as Lisa’s care partner and as a dementia advocate in Canada. 9am CDT/10am EDT at https://www.facebook.com/DementiaRosary.com ** Many websites ..read more

This is the 14th installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more. Just as we must change our attitudes to accommodate persons living with dementia, there are elements of the environment that we must change to keep our loved ones functioning as independently as possible. While safety is a paramount consideration, it’s important to understand that no environment is completely safe ..read more

This is the 13th installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more. It is essential that you be able to stick up for yourself and your loved ones, which brings us to the topic of advocating. Advocating can mean different things to different people in the area of dementia. It could mean advocating for rights for persons living with dementia ..read more

This is the 12th installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more. If you think life is complicated, care partners know how much more complicated that things can get when a loved one has dementia.  Care partnering can become a full-time job. Here is a sample of the things that could make the care partner journey easier if more organized: Medical ..read more

This is the 11th installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more. Over the years, I’ve met many care partners who hold a grudge against themselves or others, including family members, or even the person living with dementia. Usually, the best thing, depending on the person, is to listen and recognize what is happening. There are people who violate our trust or let us down ..read more