I started writing out a story of something that happened in 2022 that I called The Fingernails Incident. I took Heather to a nail salon to get acrylic nails attached, and without going into detail I’ll just say that it didn’t work out at all. It was pretty awful… But that’s the subject of another Read More
Tag: dementia care
Adjusting the Sails
A few weeks ago, I had resigned myself to the notion that our cherished art days were behind us. Heather seemed disinterested, and I feared our creative journey had come to an end. After a brief hiatus, however, I decided to give it another try. To my delight, Heather’s passion for art has been rekindled, Read More
8 Orange Birds – Part 2
This week, I hoped that Heather would be interested in decorating the birds she painted orange last week. When I arrived, I could tell she was in good spirits as she greeted me with a big smile—a good sign. After lunch, we moved to the back deck, our usual spot for art projects. I laid Read More
An art project… painting birds
Hetty used to visit on Fridays for art activities, hence the name of the book Fridays with Heather – 55 Art Projects for Dementia Care. She has since switched to Tuesdays, which doesn’t make any difference in the big scheme of things. Today is an art day. Hetty always keeps things as simple as possible, Read More
Caregiver tips – dishes
Here’s a quick caregiver tip When serving food try to serve finger foods or foods that don’t need manipulation or cutting. Also, try to use dishes that have a lip, like a wide bowl versus a flat plate that will allow food to slide off. In or case Heather uses just one hand, whether eating Read More
Heather then and now
At the request of one of my YouTube subscribers, I pulled together a few videos I recorded over the past three years, from before anything really started to happen with Heather. One of the earlier videos is a whale watching trip on Brier Island in Nova Scotia, where I’m quite sure there’s something wrong, but Read More
Celebrating Small Victories
Last week I was encouraged by Heather’s willingness to create a small drawing using a few marker colours. Today I brought some new brightly coloured markers hoping she would be interested in drawing again. I sat beside her and drew a few simple flowers while she watched with some interest. When I handed her a Read More
Fear based on not knowing what’s behind her – how this impacts daily activities – just figured this one out!
As I was laying in bed last night, suddenly a little light went on 💡, and I think I’ve come up with an explanation of why Heather has some hesitancy or fear in three particular daily functions: using the toilet, having a shower, and going to bed. Each of these activities has become a challenge Read More
Starting to see more of this
My housekeeping duties are ramping up with time, but I have things set up well enough here that I can stay on top of it. It’s not a big deal.
