A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia can be very devastating, challenging, overwhelming, and emotional. Dementia doesn’t just affect the one diagnosed — it often impacts everyone in the family, close friends, and even neighbors and co-workers. However, being informed and getting connected to appropriate support after a dementia diagnosis can help you know what to expect and what to do next. This checklist can help you get started.
Each year, many of us make resolutions to become a better version of ourselves in the new year. Many times, these new year’s resolutions focus on the negative — our worst qualities that we want to change, our bad habits we want to break, or our biggest mistakes we hope to rectify. If your past year had major losses, challenges, or setbacks, you may long for “the good old days” or how things once were, idealizing the past and longing for something that is gone. This is very easy to do when thinking about our pre-pandemic lives and the ways things are now, and certainly, many have experienced the loss of family or friends, jobs, and more.
With the holiday season upon us, everywhere we look we see signs of joy and festivity — sparkling lights in our neighborhoods, commercials of happy families celebrating together, decorations in every store, and social media pictures of holiday bliss. But despite being called the “most wonderful time of the year” and the “season to be jolly,” for many people, the holiday season can be a time of depression, grief, sadness and loneliness.
We have all been touched by music in many ways — perhaps soothed by a calming melody, motivated to exercise by an upbeat tune, brought to tears by a song linked to a special memory, or inspired to hit the dance floor with a favorite party song. These are just some of the ways that we instinctively use music therapeutically in our everyday lives. Music has the unique ability to stimulate multiple “brain centers” simultaneously, making it the most powerful art form there is. It can unlock the brain in ways that nothing else can.
For those of us with aging parents, the time will come when we have to discuss sensitive issues about aging care, such as where they will live, who will make the medical decisions, who will handle their finances, and what their wishes are for their final resting place. You might feel nervous just starting to think about the answers.
Navigating the world of home care can be difficult, especially when you’re unsure of what your loved one may need or what you can afford, and what may be most beneficial for the highest quality of life.
Being a caregiver can be rewarding, overwhelming, inspiring, draining, and more. And being a caregiver for someone with dementia presents a host of unique and often intense challenges. As the disease progresses and your loved one changes, you may find you have more questions than answers.