a daughter’s prayer to god
This poem is inspired by the struggles of compassionate children, especially daughters (of which I am one) who care for…
come to mummy anyway
August 4, 2015: I was happy to find Mom semi-awake when I arrived. It was the first time in about…
what if we treated babies like this?
The way we care (or not) for our most vulnerable reflects who we are as people. Let’s imagine…
it’s no joke: seroquel and risperdal illegally marketed to treat elderly people with dementia
John Oliver’s tragically funny Big Pharma lampoon went viral. Maybe because, like most incisive satire, his piece is rooted…
29 normal behaviours you could be sedated for
The Nursing Home Behaviour Problem Scale (NHBPS) was designed by researchers in the early 1990s to measure the frequency of…
6 scary facts you should know about dementia care
Today’s dementia care partners, advocates and leading-edge experts fear that if we don’t take significant steps to create change, we’re going…
a day in the life of wilbur and deb
Wilbur spotted Deb at the skating rink in 1971 when she was twelve and he was seventeen. “She looked older than her age,” he told me. After she turned thirteen,…
TED aphasia video great for dementia care partners
As Mom’s dementia evolved her language skills changed, and while others seemed not to understand what she was trying to communicate when she spoke, I often found it relatively easy to read…
pia, punkie and patti’s peace day poem from the past
On September 20, 2009, Mom and squeezed together in the steel blue armchair in the southeast corner of the living room of her big red brick house on the hill.…
5 psyche-saving tips for dementia care partners
“What is the best way for a family to deal with the parent who has dementia?” someone asked me on Quora. Tough question. I continue to learn new things every single…
