“Have you ever seen our smart and sassy Martha retreat into her shadow? Have you seen her confidence evaporate? Her bright blue eyes turn dull and gray? You have no idea what’s coming, do you?” That’s me, now 73, talking with me at 52 shortly before my wife Martha was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. Read more…

By Linda Burhans Reset the computer in your head. That’s right. Wipe out the hard drive that carries holiday messages of the past. Zap it! The perfection you remember is likely skewed, anyway. Watch “Merry Christmas Mr. Bean.” I’m serious. If not “Merry Christmas Mr. Bean,” find something else funny, silly and maybe touching, but Read more…

by Linda Burhans Recently at one of my support groups I asked if there were any challenging situations the caregivers were dealing with. Suddenly a woman burst into tears. “I don’t know how to say this.” She cried. “But my wonderful loving uncle who has been so kind to me his entire life, has recently Read more…

By: Linda Burhans Seniors bring so much to their families it is hard to capture the full importance of their contributions. From family history to parenting advice to creating precious memories, your influence is felt in ways both obvious and subtle. Imagine, then, the hole that will be left behind eventually when you are gone. Read more…

Benefits of a Caregiver Support Group   By: Linda Burhans   I have facilitated hundreds of caregiver support groups over the last four years.  When a new person shows up I always ask, “Why did you come today?”  More often than not, the response is, “I don’t know, I just think I need some help.” Read more…

By: Linda Burhans I want to tell you a story that touches my heart time and time again. I often speak to youth groups about random acts of kindness. About a year or so ago I spoke to a wonderful group of energetic children. When I finished speaking, one of the teachers pulled me over Read more…

By Gary LeBlanc Nothing devastates a family like the loss of a loved one through suicide. It is such an uncomprehensible tragedy that it leaves everyone speechless, without ever having any real answers. With senior adult couples the rate of Homicide-Suicide increases 50 percent—higher than younger adults. For those who suffer from Alzheimer’s and other Read more…

By: Linda Burhans Week after week caregivers come to my support groups feeling so overworked and underappreciated that many times they feel like giving up. Being a family caregiver is a time-consuming and many times exhausting job. The daily emotional and physical demands of the caregiving process often leads to feelings of burnout. The best Read more…

By: Linda Burhans I was very surprised when I received a call from Sally a couple weeks ago. She is definitely a southern belle with that beautiful southern accent that gives me a good feeling. Sally attended some of my support groups in Florida about three years ago when she was caring for her mom Read more…

By: Dr Cate McCarty – Dementia Coach When you think of dance, what comes to mind? Is it the foxtrot, waltz, tango or salsa? Maybe you think of Zumba or Jazzercise. Or maybe you think of the weekly program, Dancing with the Stars. But did you know that dance is a great brain health strategy? Read more…

By: Gary LeBlanc The state of Florida has truly had its eyes opened on the proper need of dementia training for their special needs shelters after last year’s Hurricane Irma. I have been extremely grateful to take on the task of educating and training Florida’s Heath Department employees on dementia care and awareness, starting with Read more…

By: Linda Burhans Aging is a natural part of life, and death is a natural part of aging. We all know the time will come when we pass away, but what happens to those we leave behind? If you are one of those seniors dealing with the pain and grief of losing a spouse, there Read more…

By: Linda Burhans When an emergency or disaster strikes, people often have to perform manual labor to deal with the situation. Clearing trees, branches, dirt, snow, ice, and debris from your living area may be your first chore after a disaster. It’s impossible to prepare for every emergency imaginable, but if you know the types Read more…

By: Gary LeBlanc Many caregivers are searching for natural health remedies these days. One treatment I’ve discovered that takes the edge off the anxiety of those living with dementia is a loveable pet. When I was caring for my dad there were times where he became saturated with confusion. I would simply place our cat Read more…

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By Becky Moultrie Jacob’s 85-year- old dad, Allen, was in failing health, and he knew they wouldn’t have much time left together. Allen had moved in with Jacob and needed almost constant care, but Jacob still had to work, and he missed spending time with his friends. He wanted to make the most of the Read more…

Alzheimer’s  Communication Never ARGUE, instead AGREE Never REASON, instead DIVERT Never SHAME, instead DISTRACT Never LECTURE, instead REASSURE Never say “REMEMBER”, instead REMINISCE Never say “I TOLD YOU”, instead REPEAT/REGROUP Never say “YOU CAN’T”, instead do what THEY CAN Never COMMAND/DEMAND, instead ASK/MODEL Never CONDESCEND, instead ENCOURAGE Never FORCE, instead REINFORCE

By Linda Burhans At holiday time, many people are dealing with loss and are often caught in a dilemma between the need to grieve and the pressure to get into the spirit of the season. Holidays or not, it is important for the bereaved to find ways to take care of themselves. The following guidelines Read more…

A recent headline stopped me cold: “For those caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s, burnout is rampant.” The more I publicly share our family’s story, the more caregivers are on my mind. Their role and needs often are overwhelmed by the needs of their loved one. Whether they are caring for a loved one Read more…

The Sounds of Dementia One of the prevalent misconceptions that the general public has about dementia is that it only affects one’s memory. This is the furthest thing from the truth. The fact is that dementia can also affects one’s mobility, eyesight, language skills, behavior and the sensitivity to sounds. You may have a loved Read more…

By: Linda Burhans Seniors bring so much to their families it is hard to capture the full importance of their contributions. From family history to parenting advice to creating precious memories, your influence is felt in ways both obvious and subtle. Imagine, then, the hole that will be left behind eventually when you are gone. Read more…

by Gary LeBlanc I am repeatedly asked for advice on whether or not to take loved ones with dementia on vacation. My answer is always consistent, “It’s always better if they are still in the early stages of the disease. If they are “too far” advanced, the problems you will encounter may be very severe. Read more…

By: Linda Burhans Many times we think we’re too selfish and often feel ashamed about it. But the truth is the caregivers get out of the habit of taking care of themselves. Here’s how it works; you find the whole thing almost impossibly hard, yet other caregivers do it without complaining or giving up so Read more…

Quick – what would be the first thing you would grab as you ran out the door under a mandatory evacuation? Chances are, you would grab your precious photo albums to preserve those memories that cannot be replaced. Priceless memories are probably all around your home. Locked away in storage containers in your attic and Read more…

By: Linda Burhans Caregiving responsibilities can occur without warning, so without proper planning, it can create a crisis situation, particularly if you live far away. On the other hand you may not even realize that your loved ones need help. When you call on the phone, mom will not tell you that she fell last Read more…

Medical Self-Care: Seven rules for better health, including access to health information, family as health resources, wellness-illness states, health and your belief system, and the human body and its healing powers. The First Law: You are already your own doctor. Research shows that people provide their own illness care between 80 and 98% of the Read more…

http://commonsensecaregiving.com Common Sense Caregiving Children Have Aftereffects of Caregiving Too! View this email in your browser Hi Folks, Enjoy this week’s article and feel free to share it where you believe it may help. Also I would like to invite everybody to my On-Line Dementia Care Webinar today, July 7th at 3:00 pm EST. If Read more…

http://commonsensecaregiving.com Common Sense Caregiving Paying Attention to Bedsores View this email in your browser Hi Folks, Enjoy this week’s article and feel free to share it where you believe it may help. I also want to thank all those that came out to Crystal River Health & Rehab for my dementia care seminar. It was Read more…

By: Becky Moultrie Communicating effectively is one of the most important things that you can do to engage with those around you and ensure that your relationships are as connected, meaningful, and beneficial as possible. In your role as a family caregiver this applies strongly to your elderly parent, but that is not the limit. Read more…

DON’T FORGET YOUR PETS IN YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN by Linda Burhans When disaster strikes, we can easily become overwhelmed. Gathering our supplies and getting to safe ground with our family is an all-consuming thought. It’s no surprise that our pets often suffer during this dishevel. We panic, our pets panic, and no one is functioning Read more…

Recently at one of my support groups I asked if there were any challenging situations the caregivers were dealing with. Suddenly a woman burst into tears. “I don’t know how to say this.” She cried. “But my wonderful loving uncle who has been so kind to me his entire life, has recently been making sexual Read more…

Urinary tract infections are a common occurence older adults. UTI symptoms can be acute with pain on urination, frequent urination, bladder spasms, abdominal tenderness, fever, chills and pain in the back under the area of the ribs with the kidneys are located. In elderly people, UTIs can also cause other symptoms, such as confusion, hallucinations, Read more…