As the months pass, I find myself increasingly involved in assisting with even the most basic personal tasks, including dressing, toilet hygiene, and now, tooth brushing. Until recently, she managed brushing her teeth independently after I prepared everything for her, going so far as putting the brush in her hand. However, over the past few Read More
Tag: dementia care
Unexpected Challenges: Dressing a person with dementia
One of the surprise challenges I’m running up against is dressing my hunny. I didn’t anticipate just how difficult it would be, how much time it would consume, and how much patience it would require. I feel like it’s something only another caregiver would fully understand. People might think it’s a challenge to help someone Read More
Observation: My Caregiver Equilibrium Recovery Ratio
Call me crazy, but here’s my totally unsupported and unscientific observation: I believe I have a 1:1 caregiver equilibrium recovery ratio. What does that mean? For every full day that I spend on my own caregiving, I need at least one hour of complete freedom to stop feeling like I’ve been hit by a truck. Read More
Code Brown mornings – how a quiet morning can unexpectedly change to full throttle caregiving
Oh, how I cherish those mornings when I can quietly slip downstairs, savour a cup of coffee, and catch up on my iPad in peace. This morning started just like that, a blissful 45 minutes of solitude and relaxation. But then, I heard the familiar sound of footsteps on the floorboards. Heather was up, wandering Read More
RIP Heather’s Glasses
What now? She often leaves her glasses on the bed… I believed it was harmless enough but this is what I saw this morning. This is where the Backup Glasses came in. Note to self: Always keep one or two previous pairs in a drawer… you do that too right? This leaves me thinking, what Read More
The Great Slowing Down of Life
Do you remember those days when time seemed boundless, when you could dictate your schedule and pursue your passions without hesitation? The luxury of leisurely mornings, the thrill of diving into hobbies and projects—it all feels like a distant memory for most of us. Once filled with busy and fun activities and personal pursuits, life Read More
Incontinence
It looks like early days of incontenence in the house… Heather has peed herself a few times over the past months, almost always just from being out of the house and away from the bathroom. So it wasn’t a loss of bladder control, it was the inability to plan and strategize, despite me and others Read More
Challenges – the current state of affairs at just under three years
It seems like a good idea to spell out to you exactly how Heather is functioning in day-to-day life. I see so many Alzheimer’s and dementia webpages and guides that talk about coping mechanisms and tools that caregivers can use to help their people. Things like simple calendars with big dates, phones with just numbers Read More
