Welcome to my blog.

Last month, Pete, a dedicated caregiver for his wife of 55 years, who I thought I knew pretty well, uttered the two words that have always given me pause. When I asked him how he was doing he replied with confidence and without hesitation, “I’m fine!” When I followed up with “No, how are you really doing, Pete?” his answer was pretty much the same: “I’m fine, Bonnie. Really, I’m fine.” Poor Pete! He did not know that I have quite a history with that phrase.

I remember the first holiday season after my mother’s dementia diagnosis and her move into the nursing home so clearly, even though it was almost 20 years ago. That December, though we arrived together as a family to visit her from near and far, we were definitely NOT on the same page about the care we thought she should be receiving or the outcomes we sought. That Christmas, the best gift we got was the gift of understanding.

All of us have been impacted by COVID-19 in many ways, both professionally and personally. The presence of the virus has also created some significant challenges for those living with dementia, especially for those living in long term care communities. In addition, as states work to reopen or partially reopen care communities, the common misunderstanding that individuals living with dementia cannot practice social distancing may result in their continued unnecessary and harmful isolation.

We are keeping our distance from each other in order to prevent the spread of Coronavirus, but that means that care partners and people living with dementia are more isolated than ever. Here are 10 tips that will support a person with dementia or their care partner.

What do people need to be their most SUPER SELF when it comes to caring for and about those living with dementia?

We’ve made a commitment to be “in it” together – through a labyrinth of twists and turns, circles and pauses, good times and not-so-good times. Our Hand in Hand at Home program provides a great example of this path.

People with dementia often communicate with us by using actions, words and gestures that we may not understand right away, but are an expression of something important about their personal, social or physical environment. These are referred to as responsive behaviors…

I grew up in Rochester NY, the home of the Eastman Kodak Company. The phrase “a Kodak moment” came to stand for a special moment worth capturing with the click of a camera. We used the phrase “this is a Kodak moment” to describe a personal event that we never wanted to forget.

A lesson in communicating with a person with dementia – there is no “one size fits all” approach, and what worked yesterday might not work today or tomorrow. Here are some tips to help get you started.

Remember last month’s blog post about Sadie lady where I learned my lesson about problems that can occur by only seeing someone in one way? Well, here I am with an update. I just came back from Sadie’s 5th birthday party. Here is what I learned about our Hand in Hand program and leadership from a princess party…

We are all familiar with the story of Goldilocks and the three bears. Whether it had to do to with the feel of the bears’ beds or temperature of their porridge, Goldilocks was not pleased by the extremes. She wanted something that was “just right” for her. If we are...

We often make assumptions about a person’s motivation and the resulting behaviors. As caregivers, we should try our best not to make assumptions. I learned a surprising lesson on this from my five year old granddaughter.

We can learn a thing or two about communication from a second grader. Sometimes unexpected answers are another way of looking at a question. This is important to remember when communicating with those with dementia. Find out what my grandson taught me.