Latest posts
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How to Help Your Sibling Avoid Dementia Caregiver Burnout
I recently called my sister for our weekly video check-in to see how things were going with our mom. When she looked at the screen and said she was “fine,” the bone-deep frustration on her face told a completely different story. When a primary dementia caregiver says they are “fine,” it is rarely the truth.…
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Stop Correcting: A Better Way of Dementia Caregiving
Why We Feel Stuck: The Biology of the Battle How many times today have you tried to explain the truth to a person living with dementia, only to end up more frustrated, more exhausted, and further from a connection? If you feel like you’re constantly running on a broken engine, it’s not because you aren’t…
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Why You Need to Stop Answering Your Parent’s Questions
A woman on a caregiving forum recently admitted she resorted to pulling out her own birth certificate and old photo albums, desperately trying to “prove” her identity to her father. His dementia was worsening, and she was fighting with everything she had to drag him back to reality. It’s a heartbreaking scene, and if you’ve…
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Why ‘Explaining Harder’ Is Accidentally Cruel to a Brain with Dementia
We think if we repeat the answer to their question, say it slower, louder, with more detail, or just differently, they’ll be satisfied. But to a brain experiencing dementia, our logic doesn’t feel like help. It feels like an assault on their safety. Mom asked me that already today. I wonder if she forgot. I’ll…
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How to Manage Sundowning Restlessness Through Shared Movement for Dementia Calm
In the journey of dementia care, there comes a specific time of day that many family caregivers dread. As the sun begins to set, a wave of anxiety, confusion, and physical agitation can settle over your loved one. We often talk about how our words matter during these intense evening hours. We know that skipping…
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Losing Someone in Slow Motion: Why Your Grief Feels Different
Have you ever felt like you were grieving someone who is still sitting right in front of you? If so, you are likely experiencing ambiguous loss—a term pioneered by Dr. Pauline Boss to describe a grief that lacks the “map” provided by traditional loss. Unlike a death marked by a funeral and community support, this…
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Ambiguous Loss: A Comprehensive Guide to the Grief No One Talks About
If you feel like you’re grieving someone who is still alive—or someone whose fate is unknown—I want you to know something important: your grief is real. It’s called ambiguous loss, and it’s one of the most misunderstood experiences a person can go through. The Origin: A Grief Without a Map The term “ambiguous loss” was…
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When Comfort Feels Like a Threat: Decoding Sundowning Defense Mechanisms
Discover why kind questions trigger evening defensiveness in dementia, and learn a stress-free framework to restore peace.