Today we’re talking about a sundowning, which might be the reason that you're finding yourself dreading the end of the day. This is a very common phenomenon when supporting someone living with dementia and there are ways to recognize it and things that you can do to prevent it, but first you have to know what you’re looking for. 

In this episode:

• What is sundowning?
• How to prevent it?
• How to support someone through it?

Resources: 

Alzheimer's Association printable - Free download of tips on how to prevent or manage sundowning 

What did you think of the tips? We'd love to hear from you!

[email protected] 

During this Alzheimer’s and brain awareness month, we're talking about how the changes in the brain during dementia affect the five senses. It's helpful to remember that as dementia progresses, memory is only one of the things that will be impacted. We'll talk about how you can make sense of what you're seeing and hearing about senses from your loved one, and how to best support them when these things come up.

In this episode:

• What are some of the changes that happen with each sense?
• How can you support your loved one successfully when this comes up?
• What types of hallucinations might you see?

Resources: 

How Dementia Affects the 5 Senses - Free download of these key tips so you can keep them handy and share them with other care partners!

What did you think of the tips? We'd love to hear from you!

[email protected] 

It's June, which is Alzheimer’s and brain awareness month, and we’re talking about friends. One of the best things you can do for your brain is to engage socially. But what if you’re living with cognitive impairment, either yourself or a loved one? You might be feeling alone, especially if some of your relationships are changing. There may be some hard realities in store, but this does not mean the end of friends.  Today we’re talking about staying connected and even making new friends when there’s cognitive impairment in your future.

In this episode:

• What are common relationship changes?
• What are some approachable places to find new friends at this point?
• What's the most important factor?

Resources: 

5 Easy Ways to Find New Friends - Download and print this tip sheet for when your feeling stuck and want to find some new friends

What did you think of the tips? We'd love to hear from you!

[email protected] 

Have you been feeling stuck at home? If you’re in a rut and haven’t been getting out, this can be really frustrating and isolating. As the disease progresses, it becomes harder to get out and about. In this episode we're talking about how to get past the objections and excuses, how to set yourself up for success to get up and going out of the house.

In this episode:

• How can I get past common obstacles?
• What do I need to consider?
• What does success look like?

Resources: 

Find your local Area Agency on Aging - Services and activities for older adults, available in every county in the US

Find Alzheimer's Association events - Events specifically tailored to be dementia-friendly across the US

What did you think of the tips? We'd love to hear from you!

[email protected] 

This month we're diving into tips for navigating challenging conversations that come up when you're supporting a loved one living with dementia. This week we're discussing those repeating questions. You know the ones that are asked over and over and over. We'll talk about what you can do and what you can say to get through it!

In this episode:

• The cardinal rules of conversations with someone living with dementia
• How can memory aids help?
• Will this ever end?
• Which responses will work?

Resources: 

Dementia Conversation Success Tip Card Deck

Learning to Speak Alzheimer's book

What did you think of the tips? We'd love to hear from you!

[email protected] 

This month we're diving into tips for navigating challenging conversations that come up when you're supporting a loved one living with dementia. This week we're discussing SUCH a hard conversation. When your loved one says, "I hate you." This is so hard to hear and we'll cover 3 approaches that can help get you through it.

In this episode:

• The cardinal rules of conversations with someone living with dementia
• Why it's probably not even about you
• 3 types of responses you can have prepared
• What to do for yourself when this happens

Resources: 

Dementia Conversation Success Tip Card Deck

Learning to Speak Alzheimer's book

What did you think of the tips? We'd love to hear from you!

[email protected] 

This month we're diving into tips for navigating challenging conversations that come up when you're supporting a loved one living with dementia. This week we're tackling one of the most dreaded points in this disease. When your loved one doesn't recognize you and asks, "Who are you?" This is a tough one and we'll cover 2 approaches that set you up for success, and one that doesn't.

In this episode:

• 2 types of responses that often work well
• 1 that just doesn't work when dementia is in the picture
• How you can use improv techniquest to just roll with it
• What to do for yourself as a supporter when this happens

Resources: 

Dementia Conversation Success Tip Card Deck

Learning to Speak Alzheimer's book

What did you think of the tips? We'd love to hear from you!

[email protected] 

This month we're diving into tips for navigating challenging conversations that come up when you're supporting a loved one living with dementia. This episode is all about when you hear, "I gotta get outta here!" We'll talk about 4 occasions where this comes up and how to join their reality to work toward a successful outcome.

In this episode:

• 2 cardinal rules for communication
• What to say when someone wants to go where they already are
• When to drop everything and go

Resources: 

Dementia Conversation Success Tip Card Deck

Learning to Speak Alzheimer's book

What did you think of the tips? We'd love to hear from you!

[email protected] 

If the thought of asking for help from someone has you cringing AND you are a care partner for someone with dementia or Alzheimer's, this one's for you. We've got 5 ideas for you to lighten your load plus a bunch of helpful downloads!

Resources: 

• Realistic Caregiver To Do List Template
• Set up a Caring Village site to help with community caregiving
• Sign up to get or give help in your neighborhood with Lotsa Helping Hands

Denial is very common in discussions about dementia or cognitive impairment. Today we're going to look denial right in the eye, and make peace with it. We're going to cover how to know it when it comes up, why it needs to be recognized and accepted, and how to get through it. Today's episode covers:

• What does denial look and sound like?
• Why is it important?
• How to work with it?
• What not to do!

Resources:

• Permission to go do something that fills you with joy and gratitude and forget about the denial just for a little while. 

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