John Roche cared for his mother in his home for the last ten years of her life. He admired all she’d been through – strokes, paralysis, and raising three children, mostly alone. He looked forward to caring for her. What he didn’t expect was the toll it would take on him and his mom. Unforeseen [...]
Do you feel like the only worker ant in your caregiving colony? Caregiving is both rewarding and overwhelming. Do you find yourself trying to make progress when the winds of life start blowing against you? Sometimes, we go through periods in life where we feel like a bunch of ants coming and going… but we [...]
Gotta love the human spirit that refuses to be beaten! After a misdiagnosis of epilepsy, Australian-based Mick Carmody writes, “I was diagnosed with a common form of dementia in people who are under the age of 65 called – fronto-temporal lobe dementia or FTD.” Mick Carmody surrounded by his family. L-R: son-in-law, daughter, wife, son, [...]
Facebook – Memory aid for Alzheimer’s? Facebook (FB) has a feature that reminds users of their status update from a year or more, ago. The reminder occurs on the anniversary date of when the user added the post. The user has a choice to share the memory as I’ve done below. Imagine how convenient this [...]
As a caregiver, it’s very easy to forget about taking care of yourself when you are laser-focused on taking care of another person. Frequently, caregivers have too much on their plates. If you’re one of these people, you know that even though you’ve prepared fully, surprises can leave you looking for help or new solutions. [...]
Carole Mulliken provides this month’s review of the book, The Inheritance for The Caregiver’s Voice REVIEW. If you are a caregiver for a person with Alzheimer’s, you know that caregiving can be a 24/7 in-your-face challenge. Sometimes, it lasts for decades. The Inheritance is a sweeping saga of the ill-fated Galen and Gail DeMoe family. [...]
What do you mean? Recently, I viewed a video excerpt of a former caregiver claiming that despite being comfortable with both online and offline research, she couldn’t find any information for caregivers. Really? Nothing? The Caregiver’s Voice REVIEW receives books with similar remarks in the introduction: I wrote this book because there is no information [...]
Despite Dementia, Michael O’Brien Smiles Twenty-one years ago, when I became a full-time family caregiver for my father with dementia, few people talked openly about living with dementia. Most didn’t want to talk about it at all and their families usually spoke about it, quietly. We often used the term, Alzheimer’s, to describe nearly all [...]
The Spiritual Life of a Caregiver Guest article by Dr. Carol Peters-Tanksley One year ago, my caregiving journey ended as I washed my husband’s closed eyes and kissed his lifeless hands. Al would never have wanted to call me his caregiver, but as his illness progressed that’s what I increasingly became. I felt the full [...]
When a parent or spouse is diagnosed with dementia, fun and games are far from most people’s minds. Believe it or not, a popular tabletop game can actually slow cognitive decline. It can give those coping with early-stage or mid-stage dementia an opportunity to thrive. That game? Ping pong . Ping pong (table tennis) has [...]
