I'm working hard on developing a couple of presentations for the Dementia Alliance Zoom Conference on Managing Dementia-Related Behaviors on the 10th and 11th of this month. Be sure to register even if you can't attend live. All registrants will receive instructions for accessing the recorded sessions and handouts with some good references. The advantage of attending live is that we will have a panel session where you can ask us questions, but if you can't be there you can still get the benefit of what others ask and listen to the recorded presentations. See my 1-22-21 blog for more informati ..read more

This was posted on Facebook by a man in his mid-70’s. I think caregivers might be able to take some of his ideas to heart as well! I've added some comments to each one. After loving my parents, my siblings, my spouse, my children and my friends, I have now started loving myself. (So easy to forget when you are so involved with providing care, but it is a MUST DO for healthy, safe caregiving!) I have realized that I am not “Atlas”. The world does not rest on my shoulders. (And I don't have to be perfect either!) I stopped telling the elderly (anyone!) that they've already narrated that story ..read more

The Dementia Alliance of North Carolina is presenting a two day Zoom conference on behavior management on Feb. 10 and 11 from 11 to 2:30 each day. Click here for more information. The conference is in honor of Dr. David Kaufer, a very Lewy-savy neurologist who passed away last year. Dr. Kaufer was a mentor for Pat Snyder, author of Treasures in the Night, a very good book about making the early stages of LBD last as long as possible. Pat will be one of the speakers and I will be as well. Dr. Trey Bateman, who worked with Dr. Kaufer, will be the third speaker. It should be a conference well wor ..read more

Last week’s blog was about using activity and posture to assist you or your loved one to recover from a bout of Covid.  It and this week’s blog are based on a list about “fighting Covid at home†that was circulated online by a woman who was sent home from the hospital to recover. It is important to note here that these blogs are NOT about preventing Covid, but about assisting the recovery after it been identified and treated. This week’s blog is about diet and nutrition. As I did last week, I have crossed out those items unsupported by science and added my own comments in it ..read more

We all know our loved ones are often better off at home than in a hospital where the staff may not know how to treat their LBD-related symptoms safely. This does not mean you should try to treat your loved one’s Covid at home without a doctor’s guidance or that you should avoid using hospitalization when needed. However, with hospitals as crowded as they are, doctors are often encouraging home care and you may be faced with this task. If you are dealing with Covid yourself, you may also be dealing with it at home. The same goes for you as for your loved one. Don't try to treat yourself at home ..read more

This week I've invited Pat Snyder talk to us about forgiveness. This is a great subject to discuss right now when we are both so distant from so many of our loved one and so crowded up together with those with whom we live day in and day out. With this added stress, anger, blame and other negative emotions get closer to the surface. But expressing them hurts you a lot more than it does the person you are mad at. Let them go! Yes, I know, easy to say! But Pat makes it quite doable. Here is her 11.5 minute video: Forgiveness  Take what she tells you and use it! You will feel a lot better ..read more

This isn’t an LBD related issue, but in a way it is. We are all likely either at risk or closely connected to someone who is at risk for Covid-19. Just how serious is it? I thought you might like to see what I found out about some myths I’ve been hearing about Covid-19. Myth: Repeated testing inflates the numbers. Truth: Each person has an ID and is counted only once no matter how many tests they take. (This is one I did wonder about, what with so many people getting tested and retested regularly.) Myth: Only seniors are at risk. Truth:The 50,000 Covid deaths of people under 65 is 18.5% of the ..read more

Last week's blog was about our latest book, A Caregiver's Guide to Lewy Body Dementia, 2nd Ed. This week, I want to tell you a little about another book we worked on last year, Lewy Body Dementia: A Manual for Staff.  It has much of the same up-to-date information in it as the new Guide, but it is written for your helpers and for facility care staff. It makes a wonderful gift for anyone who is helping you care for your loved one. You can find in on Amazon in print or eBook.  You can also buy it as a part of a set on our LBDtools.com website. When you get the set, you also get a ..read more

Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is coming soon. We have the perfect gift for your helpers and family members who want to know more about LBD.  A Caregiver’s Guide to Lewy Body Dementia, first published in 2010, has been called the LBD caregiver’s Bible, or Go-To-Book for years. And now there’s a 2nd Edition, with the newest facts as well as more information. For example, we’ve learned more about non-drug management of behaviors since the first book was written and this edition shows that. One of the complaints about the first edition was that the resource section was lacking. The re ..read more

Next Thursday is Thanksgiving. It won’t seem like it for us…and for many of you, I’m sure, because we won’t be having any big family get-togethers. But we still have so much to be thankful for: Our heath. As most seniors, we have our issues, but for the most part, we are doing very well. And in Arizona, we have good health care. We’ve learned to use telehealth and email for some of our doctor visits and I suspect that won’t change when things get back to “normal.” Our home. We are so grateful to have a comfortable home in which to ‘”shelter in place.” We have stopped traveling to the PNW in th ..read more