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Dementia: The Caregiver’s Journey

Caring for a person with dementia is a journey quite unlike any other. Over the course of years, the caregiver and the person they care for share an incredibly challenging and remarkable experience. In the beginning, as the person first begins to notice symptoms, and is eventually diagnosed, there is grief, anxiety, and often an overwhelming sense of finality that encompasses both the person with dementia and the people they love. The role of the caregiver is less about performing daily tasks and more about providing memory support when needed…. More about just being there. But then the disease progresses. The person with dementia looses more skills. They may become more easily confused or agitated when the demands of a task or situation outpace their abilities. The caregiver has to walk a delicate line…. Balancing the need for continued independence with the proper level of assistance, management of the environment, simplification of tasks. It can be incredibly demanding and confu
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Turning Points

 For everyone who is a caregiver, there are important milestones, or turning points, in the caregiver’s journey. For example, there is the moment when you first become a caregiver. Shocking, scary, and overwhelming, this is probably the most obvious example that comes to mind. But there are other turning points in the journey where caregiver’s find themselves once again, out of their depth. Often, as the people we care for grow older, suffer medical complications or setbacks, or progress through a disease process, there will be points in time where the needs of the person change, or increase. The caregiver, who once had it all figured out, now struggles again to make it work. I remember well a family I was helping whose mother had terminal cancer. She’d been doing mostly alright for a long time, really just needing supervision for safety. Then, one day, as the cancer progressed to the bones in her legs, she found herself unable to walk. Now, there was a whole new set of needs to be
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Caregivers: The Lynchpin of Healthcare

 I’ve only written the title of this blog, but I already know I might be in trouble. Why? Because even though caregivers have the most foundational, vital role in the health and wellness of the people they care for, they often aren’t technically considered part of the healthcare system. You’ve probably heard about the importance of routine medical care, the value of family practice physicians, and the incredible benefits of preventative medicine. And, without a doubt, these are ALL ESSENTIAL parts of long term health and wellness. But, for those in the care of another person, the role of their caregiver should be considered AT LEAST as VITAL. The fact is that many people who have a caregiver have difficulty accessing or advocating for their own care, whether routine, preventative, or even emergency. It falls on the shoulders of their caregiver, often the person who knows them best in the world, to be the primary observer, documenter, and advocate for that person. In the case of f
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The Tragedy of the Caregiver's Dilemma

Ever been thrown headfirst into a situation you weren’t quite sure how to handle? Most people can relate to that experience. Maybe it was that time you got into a fender bender right after getting your driver’s license, or when your teacher asked you to come to the board and demonstrate how to solve a math problem that seemed impossible even without everybody watching you. In both of those situations, your heart was probably pounding, your head spinning, and your palms beginning to sweat. But, in the end, you probably also realized that you had someone to help you through it. You called your parents, or your insurance company, who walked you through what you needed to do. Your math teacher (unless they were a total jerk!) walked you through the problem step-by-step, realizing that it wasn’t just you that didn’t get it… it was the whole class! After everything was said and done, you came out smarter, wiser, and more experienced… because you had an experienced guide. For caregivers
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