It was the great Basketball Coach John Wooden who said “don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” When it comes to doing activities with your loved one(s) with Alzheimer’s type dementia, truer words have never been spoken. In traditional dementia care communities and Adult Day Centers, they’re required to provide the residents “meaningful activities.” As […]

As no two individuals with Alzheimer’s dementia are the same, no two days of caregiving are the same. Depending on the individual(s) you’re caring for, every day, may or may not present difficult challenges in dealing with their behaviors. It’s well understood that their environment will often dictate their behavior and I’ve also read where 90% of aggressive behavior is […]

Here we are again, about to turn the corner into a New Year. With every New Year we have the opportunity to write a new 365 page book and we should be doing our best to make it the best book ever. This is especially true if you’re a caregiver of a loved one with Alzheimer’s dementia. How did your […]

If you’re a caregiver of someone with Alzheimer’s dementia, you already know that your loved ones condition is not going to improve or change for the better so it’s you that’s going to have to change. Dementia is a symptom that’s defined as a loss of intellectual function. A loss that’s so great that it affects your loved ones ability […]

As I have mentioned time and time again, there are a number of very good resources out there for caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s and other dementias that are looking for guidance. One of the best, is the book “The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer’s Care” written by Virginia Bell and David Troxel. The obvious premise of the book is […]

My wife and I usually make it a point to go out for breakfast every Saturday morning. Recently, while visiting one of our favorite breakfast haunts, one of my readers recognized me as the man behind these articles. Her over 90 year old mom was suffering from Alzheimer’s so it didn’t take us long to realize we had some common […]

As many of you know, along with my writing and lecturing, I serve as The Executive Director of an Assisted Living and Memory Care Community in Coventry, Rhode Island. It’s no surprise that this kind of responsibility brings with it some very interesting scenarios. Recently, we were asked if a demented wife could be joined in our dedicated environment for […]

One of the early indicators that your loved one is having trouble is issues with medications. It’s no secret that over dosing or under dosing medications is a bad idea but one other issue you can have is when there are multiple physicians involved. They could be seeing a cardiologist, a pulmonologist, a primary care physician and a geriatric psychologist. […]

Not surprisingly, many folks think that depression is a natural result of dementia but it’s not. It’s been said that only about 20 to 40% of individuals with dementia suffer from depression and it can be treated. As they aren’t likely to tell you they’re depressed, you need to know what to look for…Here’s a quick list…Tearfulness, worry or a […]

One of the early indicators that your loved one is having trouble is issues with medications. It’s no secret that over dosing or under dosing medications is a bad idea but one other issue you can have is when there are multiple physicians involved. They could be seeing a cardiologist, a pulmunologist, a primary care physician and a geriatric psychologist. […]