Alzheimer’s Caregiving Webinar Featuring Emmy-winning TV personality and Alzheimer’s advocate Leeza Gibbons and other Alzheimer’s disease experts, there will be a free webinar on Tuesday September 20, 2011. Americans fear an Alzheimer’s diagnosis second only to cancer. Unfortunately, Alzheimer[...]
Fifteen years ago this month, my husband and I were visiting my father in Wisconsin with the idea of placing him in an assisted living community to better help him live with dementia. We called him Mardig (Armenian for Martin). As days passed, we grew overwhelmed trying to make sense of years of dis[...]
My dad, Henry Kolodziej, cares for my mom. In September, 2010, my mom had surgery related to post-stroke complications. The surgery was intended to prevent risk of a future stroke by destroying an aneurysm in her belly. Tragically, there was a poor surgical outcome, and while the procedure destroyed[...]
Dear Caregiver, You have one more opportunity, before the start of the fall, to do something special for YOU this holiday weekend. Read the encore publication of 3 Tips for Caregivers over Labor Day Weekend. WRITE TO US! Share your story and photos! We’ll post a few to encourage other caregiv[...]
When I wander don’t tell me to come and sit down. Wander with me. It may be because I am hungry, thirsty, need the toilet. Or maybe I just need to stretch my legs. When I call for my mother (even though I’m ninety!) don’t tell me she has died. Reassure me, cuddle me, ask me about h[...]
Let’s say the person you are approaching is in the middle stage of Alzheimer’s. S/He has lost the ability to make sense of the world as easily as before the disease took over. When approaching, make sure you learn what’s on his/her mind. You can’t just bounce into the room, g[...]
How will YOU be remembered? Martin Avadian was born, August 22, 1910 in a major Armenian-occupied town called Van (in Turkey). He lived there with his parents until the start of the Armenian Genocide (April 24, 1915), where his father was called to help the Turks. As a proud Armenian, my grandfather[...]
I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history when you die. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong. I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger. There is great n[...]
How do we better understand when and where our loved ones feel pain if they can no longer express it in a way we understand? Caring.com published an article, Dementia and Pain: How to Assess When Someone Hurts and Needs Help, that answers this multi-faceted question. Reading the article helped me to[...]
Caring for a loved one can feel like an uphill climb. At first it may seem doable then reality sets in with a powerful dose of fear, “I stepped up to care for [fill in name]; but can I really do this?” Such was the case for me in early August when four of us decided to climb Mount Langle[...]
Whether you’re a person in need of a caregiver (or a CEO looking for a successor); remember, truth, honor, and respect will rise above all else, even when one might not “look” as the others. This wonderful story by an (as yet) unknown* author beautifully illustrates how a CEO wisel[...]
To succeed as family and professional caregivers, we must stand united, lest we fall divided. These “once-in-a-lifetime” tough economic times are happening more frequently. During my five-plus decades, I’ve lived through five cycles, starting in the late seventies with double-digit infla[...]
