This Insidious Dementia
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I’ve got a pretty good collection of blog posts about dementia and being a caregiver by now. It’s been over 3 years now that I’ve been helping caregivers during the dementia journey with their loved one.
So, this month, I thought I’d take some of my posts and give you a little guide to them.
Is it Dementia or just old age
If you’re new to This Insidious Dementia, Dementia in general or Mild Cognitive Impairment, and you’re wondering whether your loved one has dementia or not, in the post mentioned below, I talked about what I noticed with my mom.
I noticed the repetition but I also noticed things that just weren’t “normal” for Mom. Rather than just 1 thing, it was a collective group of things that had me concerned.
What to do After a Dementia Diagnosis
Once there has been a dementia diagnosis, in my opinion, there are some documents to set in place.
Now, I’m not an attorney or attempting to give out legal advice. I just want to bring several things to your attention at this point. That’s the topic of the legal paperwork. Things like the will and the power of attorney.
Here’s a few posts regarding what I think is important to have in place sooner rather than later.
The First Thing to Do After a Dementia Diagnosis
How to Handle the Money Management of Your Loved One with Dementia
1 Important Piece of Advice for Family Dementia Caregivers
3 Estate Plan Items Your Loved One with Dementia Should Have
And while you’re working on that paperwork, it’s a good time to gather all your “stuff” together and create a notebook or a file. These are commonly known as an Important Documents Notebook, an If I Die binder, or a Family Notebook.
If you don’t know how to put one of these notebooks together or what to put in it, check out these 2 posts –
Take all your paperwork a step further and grab this End of Life Printable Planner in my Etsy shop. Believe me, the family yiou leave behind will appreciate this foresight.
Go a little further and pre-plan your funeral. I know, I know. Nobody wants to talk about dying but I’ll tell you what. When my mom passed away, I was soooooo glad she had planned out what she wanted at her service. It made the arrangements so much easier on the family.
Check out this post for dealing with the funeral stuff –
Dementia Hot Topics
In the Dementia forums there are always questions about the topics of driving, changing clothes, toileting, and whether or not Memory Care should be the next step. Here is my experience with Mom.
Common Questions about Driving with Dementia
6 Simple Steps to Get Your Loved One to Change Clothes
Dementia Patients & Toileting Issues
What day is it? Dementia & the Perception of Time
Why I Made the Memory Care Decision
Caregivers
Let us not forget the saints, the unsung heroes & the super heroes. The ones that are taking care of their loved ones.
It’s so important to take care of yourself as well. Here are some posts for you –
Using Positive Affirmations as a Caregiver
Ways to Manage Caregiver Stress
Finding Solace in Creative Hobbies – Caregiver Stress
Downsizing
Since my dad passed away before my mom died, I was tasked with being her executor. Maybe these posts will help you with organizing and downsizing an estate.
What to Do with the Old Family Photographs
Check out the links to my notebooks in the 2 pictures that I created for Amazon KDP. There are lots of blank lined pages to use for taking notes at caregiver meetings or keeping a diary or journal.
Etsy Shop
I started an Etsy shop in February of 2022 called DementiaHelpingHand. The shop was created to help out the caregivers giving them digital products they can use for themselves and with their loved ones.
The 2 posts below tell you about some of my offerings.
You can check out more posts on the blog. I usually put out a new post each month. There’s also a few book reviews.