“Music is the movement of sound to reach the soul for the education of its virtue.” -Plato The Event The annual Dine and Dance is a fun and elegant event hosted by the Alzheimer Society of Toronto. Held at the St. Lawrence Hall, this social event provides a space for people in the early stages of dementia and their family caregivers to dance and enjoy an afternoon together. Amanda Schmukler, Senior Social Worker at the Alzheimer Society of Toronto is…
Dementia can be a heartbreaking disease. There is much that troubles and worries us about it. It can seem that one day we are happily living our lives when we get this nagging feeling that something is ‘not quite right’ – with our own ability to manage our day to day lives or that of someone close to us. We worry that if dementia has become part of our lives, it will lead inevitably to a slide toward total dependence, including the need to move to a long-term care (LTC) home.
When it comes to visiting Mom, I like the normal days, where my only expectation is to “connect” with my mom. The days I don’t like are holidays: birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Family Day – they all remind me of better times. I feel so overwhelmed by the Mom I have lost, that I don’t have the energy to “find” the Mom who is left behind. On these occasions I enlist my family members or friends to come with me. I…
My mother, Bruna was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in January of 2011. The disease was not unknown to her family. Three of her sisters died of complications resulting from this creeping and subtle sickness, as well as her paternal grandmother. Not long after the second time she had become disoriented while driving and her ever increasing lapses in recall, I decided to take her to visit her doctor. What if she ended up hurting herself, or worse, someone else? I could never forgive myself.
If you are living with dementia or supporting someone who is, you may be experiencing a ‘roller coaster’ of emotions. Some days are so good you tend to forget about the dementia altogether. Other days, the smallest thing can send you to tears. Still other days you might feel a nagging sadness that you just can’t shake – even though nothing particularly sad has happened recently.
This ‘roller coaster’ can be related to the ups and downs of feeling grief – yes, a similar kind of grief that we feel when we lose someone dear to us.
The holidays are all about spending time with friends and family. Including a person with dementia in these events is important because it helps them connect, through familiar faces and objects, to their past. And create new memories too. Including people with dementia in a social gathering, especially a large one, can be challenging. The extra stimulation may be difficult to manage. Most people with dementia still enjoy socializing. Sometimes it is friends and family that may feel uncertain in…
Moving some into long-term care is never an easy transition. Care partners feel many emotions when a family member moves into a long-term care home. Some are relieved to share the care while others feel guilty, especially if promises were unkept. “My valiant hopes around looking after him at home forever were dashed, and I watched in fascination and some horror as others stepped in to take over my role as his caregiver,” said Susan Bithrey, wife and care partner…