Aging Care Coach

It's June again and another Father's Day is upon us. With the holiday less than a week away, I find myself scrambling for gift ideas for my Dad and my Father-in-law. Both of these men are fortunate to have the resources to purchase all of their needs and most of their wants so this leads to the annual struggle with coming up with a gift to honor them and show appreciation on this 'holiday'. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a living father - who is healthy, with whom they have a good relationship, who loves and supports them through ups and downs. For those of you whose hearts sink when Father's Day is on the horizon, my heart breaks for you. There are many reasons this holiday may cause grief for you, dear readers. Since this is a blog that focuses primarily on dementia, I'm going to focus on those of you whose fathers are living with dementia. If your father is living with dementia this Father's Day, my 'challenge' coming up for a gif

Recently, I returned to Phoenix, AZ where I work as an independent contractor/consultant with my former employer Hospice of the Valley. I previously lived in the Phoenix area for 9 years, originally moving there for graduate school then staying an extra 7 years until my husband's work took us on our next adventure. Since my dementia work all started in Phoenix, returning feels like a return to my roots. Collaborating with my original mentors again feels comforting in a sense because they helped shape the foundation of my career. These women also keep me on my toes because they have continued to evolve and strive to elevate dementia care efforts. They are truly special humans. There will always be new ideas and approaches in dementia care because as the saying goes "when we know better, we do better". There is still so much to understand about dementia, so we are all learning together. With that said, there are also some truths that remain true over the years and de

I'm going to be real here... The reality of the situation is that I have avoided blogging about this topic for months because it such a difficult topic. It's not difficult because I find the topic uncomfortable. I am not a prude, per se. We are adults. And by now, you all know I'm all about tacking tough topics of dementia care. The reason I've avoided writing about the topic is because there is absolutely no way that I can wrap this topic up in 750 words with a pretty little bow on top. No way, it's much too complex for that.  To start, "Sexuality in Dementia" encompasses such a wide variety of issues...foul/sexual language, suggestive comments, touching self/others, exposing self/others, masturbation, requesting sexual acts, and extra-marital relations when the person living with dementia no longer recalls they have a living spouse/partner and have found a new companion... to name a few.  See what I mean? That's quite a variety of situa

March is Social Work month. Social workers in hundreds of different roles, working with a variety of populations across the county have been celebrated and appreciated this month. Before March comes to an end, I wanted to take time to express appreciation for social workers. Social Work is such a broad label. With a quick internet search of “social work” jobs, you will find thousands of positions requiring varying levels of education and experience, working with children, adoption, family services, hospitals, homeless, counseling/private practice, veterans, domestic violence, seniors, community services… the list goes on and on. That is just positions labeled ‘social worker’. So, what is a ‘social worker’? That title often comes with a presumed image of a caring person doing their best to make social change, often working one on one with individuals and families, helping them through life’s’ obstacles. That is true in many cases, while far from all inclusive. When peo

Senior Oral Health Care—The Oral/Systemic Link This article was submitted by Mary Jensen RDH, MS Can you imagine not being able to brush your own teeth? Perhaps it is due to arthritis, poor vision, or dementia. Your inability to perform routine and effective oral hygiene care leads to dental decay and likely periodontal (gum) disease. It can also contribute to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and aspiration pneumonia. Controlling your diabetes will be much more difficult. Oral hygiene care is more than routine grooming like brushing one’s hair, or shaving—it is infection control! Inflammation of the gums will negatively effect overall health. The mouth is connected to the body! The blood that is in the infected gum tissue is the same blood that is traveling to the heart. Many seniors have had the benefit of preventative dental care. They have their natural teeth! Who will take the responsibility for caring for them when they can no longer care for themselves?

Friends, I see news stories almost daily about individuals living with dementia who wander away from the safety of their care partners. Many times they are found safely, but there are many stories where the story ends tragically. The Alzheimer's Association states that SIX out of ten individuals living with dementia will wander. They go on to say that half of those who wander, half will experience serious injury or death if not found within twenty-four hours. These statistics are alarming. For over half of those living with dementia, the question is not IF but WHEN they will wander. The risk is real, yet many care partners assume wandering is not a risk for  their  loved one. Let's just put this into perspective a little... If you knew with 50% certainty that a child was at risk for being kidnapped, would you ignore the risk? I don't know of anyone caring for small children who would ignore this risk without putting some safety precautions in place. This comparison