My Spouse Has Dementia
Mar 18, 2022
Why You Need a Medical ID Bracelet
playlist_add
If your loved one wouldn't understand or know what to do if the police called your home because you'd been in an accident, you need to wear a medical ID bracelet. With the right info, it alerts first responders that your spouse has dementia.
Check out LaurensHope.com for a variety of medical jewelry.
More episodes from My Spouse Has Dementia
Mar 6, 2023
My First Holiday Season Alone
My husband died last summer. He had Alzheimer's. I’ve experienced a lot of “firsts” without him: his birthday, my birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and most recently, Valentine’s Day. Some of those days passed without incident. Others…not so much.
It's March. I survived the first holiday season alone. I know there is no end-point to grief. We caregivers learn to carry it. We balance it between sad songs and sweet memories. We treasure the grief. It's proof that we had our own moment of Camelot.
To help me through this year, I’ve chosen three "guidewords," an important ritual I do every January. For 2023, my words are: Emerge, Share, and Contentment. Each one tosses me out of my comfort zone. And each one gives me strength.
In this episode, I talk about those three guidewords and about surviving my first holiday season alone.
I hope you don't need this information. But chances are good you know someone who does. If so, please share this episode. The best thing we caregivers can do is share our stories.
playlist_add
Dec 21, 2022
Not Feeling Festive? Light a Solstice Candle
Not feeling festive? No surprise. For those of us caring for a spouse with Alzheimer's or other form of dementia, December can be a cruel month. While much of the world is joyful. We're sad. It's part of the journey we're on. Today is the Winter Solstice. Light is returning to the Northern Hemisphere. In ancient Rome, this marked a time to celebrate and give gifts. The "wow" gift was a piece of the life-giving sun. The wow gift was a candle.
Read about the poem "No Matter How Dark" in the book "How Far Light Must Travel" by my friend, the late Judi K. Beach. Be inspired by her encouraging words.
Chose a word that represents a spiritual gift, something you want to give to others and something you want to receive for yourself. My spiritual gift to you, and to me, is Contentment. May you find peace in the caregiver's struggle.
playlist_add
Dec 4, 2022
Alzheimer's and Hope - A Gift or A Curse?
Are you caring for a spouse with Alzheimer's? You need to know that hope, like optimism, can strengthen your resilience or distort your reality. Hope can also be the key to your surivival.
My husband died four months ago. In caring for him, I journeyed from confusion to determination, from anger to cynicism, from defiance to acceptance. I shunned hope. I grasped for hope. Only when forced to live in the moment did I find peace. Only then did I learn that NOW is where hope lives.
This episode includes a list of ways someone can help a family caregiver.
playlist_add