Exec. Dir. of the LEAD Coalition (a diverse national coalition of organizations advancing #dementia quality of life, care, support & research).
#Alzheimers #caregiving #mentalhealth
| @LEAD_Coalition |
People living with dementia count on us to offer our kindness.
As dementia deepens, our loved ones may no longer recognize us. Even if they view us as strangers, our kindness can give them a sense of belonging, peace, safety, and — if we and they are fortunate — happiness.
#Alzheimers #dementia #caregiving #kindness #happiness #quote
Under the oppressive weight of dementia, we may feel we lack the strength to care for ourselves or others. In these moments when we have nothing else to give, we can strive to share kindness.
At its core, good caregiving is about finding a way to communicate — listening, watching and empathizing — to learn and respond to what the other person wants, needs and feels.
For all who have given care and known the life-altering grief, pain, and uncertainty of loss.
Amid the endless and exhausting array of tasks we perform for our loved ones with dementia, it is easy to overlook emphasizing to them and to ourselves the essence of the loving relationship that sustains us and them.
People living with dementia need our empathy, not our criticism.
This is caregiving:
"Love bids
the fragile wings unfold
beneath a flightless stare,
then flutters forth
the shimmering should
into the waiting air."
#Alzheimers #dementia #caregiving #mentalhealth #quote #poetry
This is caregiving: "Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” ~ Desmond Tutu
