Tag Archives: alzheimer's

April 14, 2025 · 8:00 am

Managing stress as a dementia caregiver

April is National Stress Awareness Month so it’s a good time to discuss healthy ways caregivers of those with dementia and Alzheimer’s can manage stress levels.

The first thing I recommend is to set realistic expectations. The dementia care journey is unique and unpredictable. The more flexible and adaptable you are, the more resilient you will be when facing those tough days when everything seems to go wrong.

Stress can manifest itself in a wide variety of mental and physical symptoms. While people may recognize common symptoms like irritability, anxiety, headaches, and digestive issues, stress can also impair decision-making skills. The longer someone endures a stressful situation, the more difficult it may be to recognize the signs of stress, as the situation begins to feel like the new normal. It’s important to recognize how your body reacts to stressful situations so you can find a stress-relieving method that will work best for you.

There are no shortage of stress reduction techniques that dementia caregivers may find helpful. For me, walks in nature and listening to music were my go-to methods for relieving stress. Anything that helped me reset my brain and my emotional state was effective when I was facing a stressful caregiving situation.

Don’t overlook the ways stress may impact your loved one with dementia. While they may not be able to express their feelings of stress clearly anymore, there are signs that caregivers should aware of as well as the triggers that may cause stress in their loved ones. A caregiver’s mood and stress level may impact a person with dementia.

Being a dementia caregiver can be a lonely and isolating experience. Finding practical ways to relieve your stress, creative outlets to express your feelings, and connecting with others going through a similar situation can be beneficial.

Speaking of creative outlets, I’d like to invite you to a poetry reading taking place at the end of April. Poetry for the Dementia Journey is being hosted by AlzAuthors on April 29 at 2 p.m. ET. The live poetry reading will feature 20 poets, including myself. You can RSVP via this form. I hope you can join us.

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October 28, 2024 · 8:00 am

Which songs will be on your end-of-life playlist?

What songs would you like to listen to as you depart this world. Marie Curie conducted research on this intriguing topic and compiled a list of the most popular songs for those at the end of life, The Guardian reported. Familiar favorites like Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” and “Hey Jude” by the Beatles made the top 10 list, as did a couple of perhaps more surprising selections: “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper and “The Best” by Tina Turner. Check out the complete top 10 list and learn more about the study on Marie Curie’s website and listen to the playlist on Spotify.

Music therapy can have a profound and positive impact at the end of life, as well as for those with conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. The Marie Curie study found that playing music had a calming effect for the vast majority of those in end of life care.

Music is a personal passion for many people, whether they play instruments or are devoted fans to particular artists and bands. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to selecting favorite songs for an end of life playlist. Some may choose soothing music, others may want to rock out to their favorite songs that remind them of happy times in their life. I remember having a brief hospice consultation when my father was in the hospital at the end of his life. Sadly there was no room in the inpatient hospice unit for him, but I remember the counselor asking about Dad’s favorite music. That was easy to answer. Dad’s playlist would have included Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and at least one rendition of “Danny Boy.”

When my mother was dying at home, I played her favorite music. Mom had fairly eclectic tastes, but she was most fond of classic country such as Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, and Glen Campbell. But when my mother took her last breath, she departed on an upbeat tune by Trini Lopez, which matched Mom’s personality quite well.

I also have eclectic tastes in music so my playlist would include selections from Eva Cassidy, the McGarrigle Sisters, Gillian Welch, a mix of classic country and 1980s-1990s alternative rock, along with bluegrass and Celtic instrumentals.

What music would you include in your end of life playlist?

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August 19, 2024 · 8:00 am

Study suggests link between shingles, cognitive decline risk

Is it just me, or are you inundated with pharmaceutical ads about shingles? The Shingrix vaccine ad blast is virtually in constant rotation on the streaming channels I watch. At this point, anyone 50 and older should have gotten the message about the threat of shingles as one grows older.

The commercial came on again as I was writing this blog post!

Now that I’ve turned 50, shingles is officially on my radar. I had chicken pox as a kid, so I’m at increased risk. The two-dose Shingrix vaccine is effective, but can trigger adverse reactions so those interested should consult their doctor.

A new study that suggests there could be a link between shingles and cognitive decline.

The latest study conducted by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital analyzed data from three large independent studies that have been collecting data since the mid-1970s and mid-1980s. Researchers determined from their analysis that an episode of shingles was associated with an approximately 20% higher long-term risk of cognitive decline. The risk was greatest for men who are APOE ε4 carriers, a significant genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.

What could be the link between shingles and cognitive decline? The connection is not fully understood and will require further research, but inflammation may play a role. Vaccination may help reduce the risk of shingles-related cognitive decline, but more research is needed, according to the study.

Even without a potential link to dementia, shingles is a painful condition that can lead to significant, long-term symptoms. But for those of us already at increased genetic risk for Alzheimer’s, understanding how other conditions may trigger cognitive decline is worth monitoring.

For caregiver tips, check out my Caregiver Product Recommendations page, with a list of products that I used while caring for my parents.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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July 1, 2024 · 10:00 am

Summer reading recommendations for caregivers

It has been sweltering in Atlanta for the past month, and summer just began. When it’s too hot to be outside for long, I’m going to turn to one of my favorite pastimes that often gets pushed to the side: reading. I read all day as part of my job, but reading for pleasure is something that I wish I did more. My Kindle is full of books I haven’t started yet, and I have plenty more on my wish list. Reading is something that makes me feel close to my dad, and I feel I inherited my love of books from him.

I could write a book about the many amazing books available for dementia caregivers, but here are my top recommendations:

I’m honored to have “At the Crossroads,” a poem about my father, included in Poetry for the Dementia Journey: An AlzAuthors poetry Anthology. This new collection was published in June and is available on Amazon. Check out AlzAuthors for a large and impressive library of books that inform and support dementia caregivers.

I’m participating in the Smashwords Summer/Winter sale. Get the e-book version of my award-wining collection of personal essays, The Reluctant Caregiver, for half-off (just 99 cents!) during the entire month of July. Enter the code SSW50 at checkout.

If you’d like to honor the memory of dementia awareness advocate Wendy Mitchell, who died earlier this year, consider one of her books. One Last Thing is aptly titled as her final work. Somebody I Used to Know is her best known and highly acclaimed book.

Finally, another shameless plug: Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living with Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias is a wonderful collection that captures the highs and lows of the dementia caregiving journey. I’m honored to have a story about my father, “French Toast,” included in this edition.

What books are on your summer reading list?

For more suggestions beyond books, check out my Caregiver Product Recommendations page, with a list of products that I used while caring for my parents.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Image created by Microsoft Copilot.

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February 19, 2024 · 8:00 am

How creating GenAI prompts reminds me of dementia communication

For the past year, I’ve immersed myself in the emerging generative AI technologies. Mostly for my job, but also for my personal curiosity. Every industry is being impacted by AI, including caregiving. If you’ve followed any of the AI discussion, you’ll know that while the technology offers great potential in certain areas, it also can produce errors, which are referred to as “hallucinations.”

Users of these gen AI models are given the responsibility of creating suitable prompts for whatever tasks they are asking the model to complete. There are now people being hired as “prompt engineers” solely for that purpose. The reasoning goes that the better the prompt, the better the execution.

Instead of just typing in a few keywords into a search engine bar, one has to think about a variety of details. There’s a lot of trial and error in the process, with the accompanying frustration and wonder when you get it just right.

This made me think about communicating with someone in the earlier stages of dementia. The person’s communication skills are typically not that impaired early on, but some aspects may be slightly off. The misuse of a word. The incorrect memory recall. The out of left field response. Not understanding a routine request the person’s done many times before.

I remember having conversations with my father during those early stages of the disease and it was disconcerting because our discussion was mostly normal, until it suddenly wasn’t. And that’s how it feels to me working with generative AI technology. It’s accurate a good deal of the time but there’s still something just a bit askew.

If gen AI is characterized as being almost human, we sometimes feel our loved ones with dementia are not the people they once were. Creating AI prompts reminds me to be thoughtful when assembling the building blocks of communication, and how we may be required to reconstruct our typical communication style with our loved ones with dementia, by reframing questions and devising ingenious ways to keep the conversation, and the connection, alive.

The prompt used for the blog post image: “A digital illustration of an adult daughter and her 80-year-old mother with dementia setting at the dining room table, having a conversation with each other, with hearts floating around them.”

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February 12, 2024 · 8:00 am

Study explores link between vision issues and Alzheimer’s disease

A recent study published in The Lancet takes a closer look at a specific vision issue that previous research suggests has a link to Alzheimer’s disease.

The new meta analysis reviewed previous research studies on posterior cortical atrophy. The rare condition causes damage to an area of the brain that results in visual impairment. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, symptoms can include difficulty in “judging distances, distinguishing between moving objects and stationary objects, inability to perceive more than one object at a time, disorientation, and difficulty maneuvering, identifying, and using tools or common objects.” Other symptoms can include hallucinations, and difficulty in performing tasks like spelling and math problems. In the latter stages, memory can be impacted.

Because of the overlapping symptoms of posterior cortical atrophy and Alzheimer’s, there’s ongoing clinical debate as to whether it should be considered a form of Alzheimer’s disease or a distinct disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

The new study “found a strong association between posterior cortical atrophy syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology” and “emphasize the importance of Alzheimer’s disease biomarker testing
as part of the diagnostic assessment of individuals with posterior cortical atrophy.” Medical News Today reported that among the study findings, “94% of study participants with posterior cortical atrophy also had Alzheimer’s disease pathology.”

It’s important to note that according to the Alzheimer’s Association, misdiagnosis of posterior cortical atrophy is common as most people would first go to their ophthalmologist if concerned about changes in vision. Those who are experiencing vision issues that persist and who are concerned about their risk of Alzheimer’s disease should seek further testing.

While there’s no specific treatment for posterior cortical atrophy, understanding its potential connection to Alzheimer’s could lead to an earlier diagnosis of the latter. Most of the newer Alzheimer’s drugs on the market are designed for those in the early stages of the disease, so diagnosis timing is critical.

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November 13, 2021 · 1:12 pm

AlzAuthors Caregiver Appreciation Month Book Sale and Giveaway

As many of you know, I am a member of the AlzAuthors group, which has grown over the years to include a diverse and impressive membership. I love how the AlzAuthors library represents so many varied genres, from memoirs to self-help to children’s books. We have non-fiction and fiction books that focus on Alzheimer’s and other dementias. We have books for those living with dementia and books for their caregivers and other family members, such as grandchildren. Much gratitude to the organization’s leadership, who have tirelessly worked to encourage the group to grow in membership and outreach.

In honor of Caregiver Appreciation Month, AlzAuthors is hosting a book sale and giveaway. The promotion runs through Nov. 17. It’s a good time to stock up on books that are heavily discounted, some even offered for free. These books can make thoughtful gift ideas for the caregiver in your life.

You can get the digital version of my award-winning collection of personal essays, The Reluctant Caregiver, for just 99 cents.

Please share the giveaway information with fellow caregivers.

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