Alzheimer’s

Placing limits on your caregiving responsibilities isn’t easy, but it’s vitally important for both you and the person in your care.

When you’re supporting someone day after day, it’s easy for “I can handle it” to become your automatic response. You say yes before you pause to check your calendar, your energy level, or your own needs. You stay later than planned, eat on the go, cancel personal plans, and tell yourself you’ll rest once things slow down. The problem is, caregiving rarely slows down on its own. Without placing limits on your caregiving responsibilities, the strain keeps building until exhaustion or frustration starts to show up in ways you didn’t expect.

Looking for little changes in an older parent’s life is key to ensuring they’re receiving the right level of care and preventing serious problems.

Aging rarely announces itself all at once. More often, it shows up in pieces, a small change here, a minor adjustment there. When you think back over the past year with a parent, the standout moments might be a holiday visit or a medical appointment. But the shifts that deserve your attention usually live in the in-between times, woven into everyday routines. It’s these changes in an older parent’s life that you need to begin to pay attention to.

Understanding conditions that mimic dementia can help you find answers and treatments you might not otherwise consider.

When someone you love begins showing symptoms like confusion, memory loss, or difficulty with everyday tasks, it’s natural to fear the worst. Dementia is often the first explanation that comes to mind. But what you might not realize is that there are conditions that mimic dementia, conditions that look almost identical at first glance but may actually be treatable. That means the changes you’re seeing may not be permanent, and the future may be far more hopeful than you think.

Balancing work and caregiving becomes easier when you have the right tools, support, and mindset.

Balancing work and caregiving can feel like a tug-of-war between two parts of your identity: your career, which you’ve spent years building, and your role as a son or daughter, which comes with deep love and responsibility. Most of us don’t realize how intertwined these roles are until a new reality begins to emerge: a parent who suddenly needs support, supervision, or hands-on help at home. The shift may be subtle at first – missed medications, difficulty getting around, small safety concerns – until one day it becomes clear that more consistent assistance is needed. And that’s when the real worry sets in: How am I supposed to manage all of this? Do I have to choose between the job I love and … Read More »

Knowing how to involve kids in caregiving can make everyone involved feel more connected.

Kids have a way of transforming a room the moment they walk in. Their questions come out of nowhere, their laughter is contagious, and their energy fills the space with something light and refreshing. While caregiving is usually handled by adults, understanding how to involve kids in caregiving helps everyone involved.

Improv is one creative dementia care strategy that can be both effective and fun.

Receiving a diagnosis of dementia is never easy. It kicks off an emotional rollercoaster of fear, anxiety, uncertainty, grief, and more, all of which are heightened if the diagnosis is given starkly, without empathy or compassion. There are steps doctors can (and should) take when delivering a dementia diagnosis to ease the initial impact, empowering and equipping the individual and family with knowledge and support.

Learn what you should never say to someone with dementia, and what to say instead.

Have you ever said something you wish you hadn’t said? Maybe your intention was to compliment a friend on her new haircut, but you came across sounding like you were criticizing her previous hairstyle. Choosing our words carefully is always important, but even more so when speaking with someone with dementia. The words we say and the way we say them can significantly impact the person’s emotional well-being and quality of life. And it’s just as important to know what you should never say to someone with dementia.

Learn about catastrophic reactions in Alzheimer’s, including what to watch for, how to prevent them, and how to manage them if they occur.

Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s is a little like walking through shifting sands. Just when you think you’ve found steady ground, the landscape changes. One of the most startling effects you may encounter is what’s known as catastrophic reactions in Alzheimer’s disease—a sudden, overwhelming emotional outburst that can erupt from something as simple as a routine question or a minor change in environment.

Knowing when to seek 24-hour care for dementia can make a world of difference in safety, health, and peace of mind.

Dementia doesn’t follow a neat timeline. Some days feel manageable. Others feel overwhelming. As the condition progresses, changes in behavior, cognition, and physical health can leave you wondering if the current level of support is enough. Understanding when 24-hour care for dementia becomes necessary can help you make informed decisions that protect not only the safety and health of the person you love, but your own well-being as a caregiver.

The kitchen is a place where stories are told, hands are busy, and memories simmer right alongside the soup. That’s what makes cooking with someone who has dementia such a powerful tool; it connects the past to the present in ways words sometimes can’t.