Category: Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care

If you notice cognitive changes in a parent, it can be challenging to know how to address this topic with them.

As your parents age, they may start forgetting things, repeating themselves, or having difficulty with simple tasks. Your parents might not even realize that they’re doing these things, and there’s a chance they will deny them if you gently bring these changes to their attention.

The holiday season is a time for joy, togetherness, and cherished traditions. It is a time when families and friends come together to celebrate and create lasting memories. However, when someone you love is living with dementia, the holiday season can bring unique challenges. Dementia can make it difficult for individuals to engage in traditional holiday activities, but with some thoughtful planning and adjustments, you can still celebrate the holidays in a way that is meaningful and enjoyable for both you and your loved one. 

When many people hear the word dementia, they tend to think of memory loss. While dementia and memory loss often go hand in hand, this condition can affect individuals in many more ways than that.

Picture yourself taking a walk through a park; you feel the sun on your face as it shines through the trees and a light breeze in your hair as you listen to the birds chirping and the squirrels scurrying across the forest floor. You feel connected with nature, alert, and more energized. All your senses are stimulated. 

Music plays a special part in our lives. You’ll never forget going to your first concert, the first dance at your wedding, or seeing your own child’s small body twirl on stage at their first ballet recital. Music has an invaluable, intangible, and almost unexplainable presence in our lives; it elicits a feeling of warmth and familiarity. 

Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are complex conditions that many people don’t fully understand, even when it impacts their own family. In fact, many are not aware that dementia is not a disease itself but rather a collection of symptoms that results from damage to the brain. 

If you care for a family member or loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, you may have noticed that they become more irritable around late afternoon into the evening. This isn’t just in your head; it’s an occurrence called sundowning.