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Critical Dementia Skill #15 Establishing a Routine

Written by M. Estrade on 21st July 2020 Blog

This is the 15th installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more. **Join us live for the July 25, 2020 Live Rosary and Dementia Q&A with Care Partner Matt Dineen. Matt will talk about his role as Lisa’s care partner and as a dementia advocate in Canada. 9am CDT/10am EDT at https://www.facebook.com/DementiaRosary.com ** Many websites,

Critical Dementia Skill #14 Modifying Environment

Written by M. Estrade on 14th July 2020 Blog

This is the 14th installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more. Just as we must change our attitudes to accommodate persons living with dementia, there are elements of the environment that we must change to keep our loved ones functioning as independently as possible. While safety is a paramount consideration, it’s important to understand that no environment is completely safe.

Critical Dementia Skill #13 Advocating

Written by M. Estrade on 30th June 2020 Blog

This is the 13th installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more. It is essential that you be able to stick up for yourself and your loved ones, which brings us to the topic of advocating. Advocating can mean different things to different people in the area of dementia. It could mean advocating for rights for persons living with dementia,

Critical Dementia Skill #12 Organizing Life

Written by M. Estrade on 23rd June 2020 Blog

This is the 12th installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more. If you think life is complicated, care partners know how much more complicated that things can get when a loved one has dementia. Care partnering can become a full-time job. Here is a sample of the things that could make the care partner journey easier if more organized: Medical –

Critical Dementia Skill #11 Forgiving Yourself and Others

Written by M. Estrade on 16th June 2020 Blog

This is the 11th installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more. Over the years, I’ve met many care partners who hold a grudge against themselves or others, including family members, or even the person living with dementia. Usually, the best thing, depending on the person, is to listen and recognize what is happening. There are people who violate our trust or let us down;

Critical Dementia Skill #10 Seeking Self-Care

Written by M. Estrade on 9th June 2020 Blog

This is the 10th installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more. If you have flown on a commercial airplane before AND paid attention to the safety briefing by the flight attendant, you will recall from the instructions that oxygen masks will drop from the ceiling in the event of a sudden drop in cabin pressure when flying 14,000 feet or above (OK,

Critical Dementia Skill #9 Discussing Healthcare Wishes

Written by M. Estrade on 2nd June 2020 Blog

This is the ninth installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more. I know very few people who are comfortable discussing this particular blog topic of healthcare decisions. After all, it does involve thinking about the end of our lives, and when we cannot speak for ourselves in that moment. Yet, it is a challenge to find many more important talks to have in one’s life.

Critical Dementia Skill #8 Shifting Roles We’ve Always Known

Written by M. Estrade on 26th May 2020 Blog

This is the eighth installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more. Dementia is a condition that isolates many care partners in ways that go unnoticed by those not in that position. An example of this the loss of making decisions together with the person living with dementia, causing a shift in roles. Think about all of the decisions that a married couple makes,

Critical Dementia Skill #7 Rallying the Family

Written by M. Estrade on 19th May 2020 Blog

This is the seventh installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more. Perhaps the only thing that is as complex as dementia is the dynamic nature of families. Every family is unique and when you consider the number of family members, other family responsibilities, career situations, the strength of the relationships, and sometimes geographic locations.

Critical Dementia Skill #6 Integrating Your Catholic Faith

Written by M. Estrade on 11th May 2020 Blog

This is the sixth installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more. This CDS article, as with all first articles (those ending in”.0″), will introduce the idea of ensuring that a care partner and their loved one stay can practice their Catholic faith and stay connected to their parish activities. Dementia is a broad term used to describe a group of chronic symptoms that may include memory impairment disrupting everyday life,

A Ministry Aging and Cognitive Impairment

A Ministry
Aging and Cognitive Impairment