She Wants Out
Rosa got everyone’s attention with her loud shouting in Spanish. She wasn’t happy, as is often the case. She wanted out, out of her wheelchair and free from the restraining belt that keeps her safe...
View Article‘I Told You To Wait For Me’
While working out on the elliptical at the Y, my attention is drawn for a moment to an elder woman and her companion, a very old man, half bent over whom she is assisting with the various machines. She...
View ArticleMindfulness-Based Dementia Care (MBDC) Program at UCSF
Until recently, most mindfulness-based approach to dementia care referred to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for dementia caregivers. Then came along the Presence Care Project, an initiative aimed...
View ArticleTwice Remembering
I was told to go and keep Charlene company. ‘She is having a hard time.’ I find Charlene contorted in her wheelchair, and trying to get up.’ Safety first, she has been placed right against a table,...
View ArticleMindfulness, Validation and Dementia Care
Validation is a widely taught communication technique in dementia caregiving. It aims to make the person feel validated in their present moment experience, whatever that may be. Sounds good, doesn’t...
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