Being a Caregiver
I’m So Very Tired…
This is one of those days. One of those days when patience is harder to find, when motivation is so very scarce… when I just want to go to bed and call it a day. […]
Being a Caregiver
Being a Caregiver
“Where’s Rod?”
These two simple words had more impact on me that anything my mother has said to me in my entire life. Mom was calling for me while I worked at my computer, I came to […]
Being a Caregiver
A Downward Spiral, a Learning Curve, and a Stressful Incline
Each of these things have started. And the downward spiral of mother’s dementia, my caregiver’s learning curve, and the steady upward climb of my stress levels have one thing in common… they are all too […]
Being a Caregiver
Respecting Social Distance: Caution or Paranoia?
I’ve learned over recent weeks that some people have difficulty with this concept. As a caregiver for my elderly mother, I need to be cognizant of the fact that we are both in age groups […]
Being a Caregiver
The Boredom that Comes with Dementia
With the progression of her dementia, my mother is quickly losing the ability to focus on anything for more than a few seconds. What I didn’t see coming was just how much boredom she now […]
Being a Caregiver
Preserving Mom’s Dignity
With the increase in the expression of my mother’s severe dementia symptoms, I’m learning that there is a significant variability to the severity of her symptoms at any given moment. This last week has been […]
Being a Caregiver
Stage 6 is Moving Much Too Quickly
In my last post on my mother’s dementia, I shared that she has abruptly moved into stage 6 on the FAST scale – losing many of her problem solving abilities. Now I’m seeing this change […]
Being a Caregiver
The Progression of my Mother’s Dementia
A recent lesson for me is that big changes can happen quite suddenly. A few days ago, my mother underwent a sudden and almost complete loss of her problem-solving ability. These problems can be as […]
Being a Caregiver
Family Caregivers and the COVID 19 Pandemic
Every family caregiver has a unique set of circumstances, and a very specific set of risk factors that apply to our own situations and to those that we provide care for. The coronavirus has significantly […]
Being a Caregiver
The Persistence of Caregiver Guilt
I’m learning that caregiver guilt becomes unexpectedly strong and runs very deep when we start looking at our feelings and behaviors too critically. I’ve written before on the topic of dealing with Caregiver Guilt, but […]