This month, The Caregiver’s Voice features curated article excerpts on the eight keys of truly confident people, learning with dementia, navigating life as an elder orphan, the FINGER study, and using caregiving language to uplift and embrace.
Eight Things That Set Truly Confident People Apart
“Confidence is earned through hard work, and confident people are self-aware. When your confidence exceeds your abilities, you’ve crossed the line into arrogance. You need to know the difference.” Dr. Travis Bradberry, co-author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 writes, “Your confidence is your own to develop or undermine. It’s the steadfast knowledge that goes beyond simply ‘hoping for the best.’ [These eight characteristics ensure] that you’ll get the job done—that’s the power of true confidence.”
Dementia May Never Improve, but Many Patients Can Still Learn
[TCV Update 2/14/2022 NYT article, subscription required] Cognitive rehabilitation used for people with brain injury is showing promise among people with dementia. Therapists show patients how to compensate for memory problems and to practice new techniques. These nonpharmacological approaches are having significant impact on people’s lives as they focus on their priorities. They are improving their ability to do the tasks they choose.
Thank you, Ann Vanino for sharing this article.
What It Means to Be an Elder Orphan
“I’m an elderly person with no children, siblings, or parents,” writes Judy Colbert. “I need more resources to navigate major life decisions.” There may be as many as 20% of the U.S. population living as elder orphans. While there are disadvantages to being an elder alone, there are advantages as Judy learned when she reached out via social media to ask other elder orphans.
The FINGER Study—Lifestyle Changes for Improvement in Executive Function
Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability also known as the FINGER study (FINnish GERiatric) completed a two-year “randomized-controlled trial including 1,260 people at risk of cognitive decline, aged 60–77 years. [Per the linked interview, below, these people did not have dementia at the time of the study.] Participants were randomly assigned to the lifestyle intervention (diet, exercise, cognitive training, and vascular risk management) and control (general health advice) groups. Executive function improved among those with shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a biomarker of aging associated with lifestyle and greater risk of poor cognitive performance and dementia.
Read an interview with Dr. Miia Kivipelto, one of the key researchers, for more information on these results.
Caregiving Language—Use It to Uplift and Embrace
If you listen closely, people will often tell you what they don’t want. In this article for Homewatch CareGivers, I invite caregivers to ask, “Do my words push people away or do they bring them closer?” Caregivers who express what they want loved ones to do, will find their language easier to follow. Using fewer “nots” and “nos” better helps us uplift and create relationships that embrace with our words. The impact of this method of language use goes beyond caregiving to our job, other family relationships, and our community.
