By Laura Oldaker, The Gift of Caring

I’m always a sucker for romantic Nicholas Sparks novels, my favorite being, of course, The Notebook.  In the story, (spoiler alert!) The main character reads from his notebook the love story of Noah and Allie, to a fellow female resident of the retirement home he lives in; she, who obviously suffers from dementia, listens intently to this stranger who reads the story to her... later in the narrative, we realize what he is reading is actually their love story, he is Noah and she is Allie.  

Last week in our blog we talked about reminiscence therapy, and the positive effects of using it with our loved ones living with dementia, another technique I recognize being used in this love story is what experts call “therapeutic fibbing” or its actual term, “validation therapy”. 

People who suffer from dementia have their memory affected. The area in the brain where new information is stored is affected and...

By Laura Oldaker, The Gift of Caring 

Effectively communication with other human beings is one life’s biggest challenges, and breakdowns in communication lead to divorce and war. It is a difficult 3-part process that includes a sender, a receiver and a message. The key and most often forgotten part of this process is the feedback, which ensures the receiver understood what the sender was trying to convey... What, you may be asking yourself, does this have to do with caring for my loved one with dementia? Well, actually, everything! 

When a person is living with dementia and cognitive impairment, communication becomes more difficult, and sometimes, verbal communication is rendered impossible; so it’s up to us, their family caregiver, to adjust how we communicate to ensure our message is received and understood. Today’s blog goes over some communication techniques that you can start utilizing right away, that can improve communication,...

By Laura Oldaker, The Gift of Caring

Being a family caregiver to someone who is living with dementia is one of the highest forms of loving your aging loved one, as it can be a very difficult task. In my 25 years of experience working with older adults and their family members, I have witnessed many difficult situations that have led family members to feel like “throwing in the towel” or drive themselves to such stress levels that can affect their own physical, emotional and mental well-being. As a family caregiver myself to someone who lives with dementia, I also understand how unique each situation is, from the nuances of family dynamics, the feelings of guilt, balancing your own personal and professional life, and so much more. 

We constantly do our best effort to provide care to our loved ones, whether you are caring in person or providing care at a distance. Some are fortunate to have time and means to be the primary caregiver or to hire outside help,...