Rita Jablonski, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, FGSA is a nurse practitioner, researcher, tenured professor, and former family caregiver. Her research and practice involve all aspects of dementia management; she is best known for non-drug strategies to address dementia-related behaviors.
Hello, awesome reader! I am in the final stages of updating my Competent and Confident Dementia Caregiving Program. Stay tuned! Meanwhile, I want to make sure that this program serves YOU. Could you do me a favor? Please take this short (just 2 questions!!) survey. Thank you so much! I […]
Wandering is a common issue in people living with dementia, affecting 20% of people living with dementia out in the community and 60% of those in long-term care settings. There are 3 types of wandering behavior. The first is elopement, where a person is trying to escape from an unfamiliar […]
One of the upsides of the Covid-19 pandemic was that many family caregivers could work from home and better balance caregiving responsibilities. As adult day care centers and respite centers shut down, family caregivers became even more important to people living with dementia. It was not easy balancing caregiving responsibilities […]
Does this feel familiar: “I quit my job to care for him, but he never appreciates anything I do.” Do you find yourself thinking, “Why is she so mean to me? Can’t she see I’m trying to help her?” Are you asking yourself, “How do I handle the stubbornness? It […]
Can a facility refuse to take my family member with dementia? How do I remove soiled clothing from someone who refuses? Read answers here.
People living with dementia may refuse help from others, only wanting care from one person. Here is how to deal with that situation.
For today’s blog, I want to dive deeper into Capgras syndrome: why we think it happens and what to do about it. Some people living with dementia develop Capgras syndrome–which is a fixed, false belief that family members are being replaced by look-alikes…by imposters.
In last week’s blog, I described three common types of delusions that you may encounter when caring for a person living with dementia: persecutory delusions, jealousy delusions, and scarcity delusions. There are other types of delusions, but these are the ones that tend to show up most often in people […]
Delusions are defined as false beliefs. These delusions can occur anytime in the dementia journey and they usually run their course then fade away. For this blog, I’m going to write about the three of the most common types of delusions that are encountered when caring for a person living with dementia: persecutory, jealousy, and scarcity. I’m also going to write about where these false beliefs may be coming from.
Wondering if you can safely leave your loved one with dementia alone? And for how long? Here are 3 things to help you decide.