Category: Stay connected and involve others
Designing a support system
My Aunt lived on her own with dementia, as her condition worsened she alienated all other connections. I had to work hard to stay on her good side so that she had one good contact amongst her family and friends. This worked, when she needed […]
Blessing or a curse
My father became very ill very quickly – one minute he was driving himself to the hospital, the next he was never returning home. I don’t know if this was a blessing or a curse. At least it didn’t drag on. To compound the situation, […]
My mother was now living by herself
After my father passed away my mother was now living by herself. After 60 odd years living together to now being alone created new pressures. When she was in hospital for a couple of months with heart problems, we came to an agreement that when […]
I will never get over this experience but I can heal from it
I’m Leigh.I looked after my Mum for 5 intense months; there were times when I slept on the floor in a sleeping bag to be nearer to her. In the end she was going blind and she had stopped eating and I knew these were […]
Keeping accountability among family members
I was not caring for my mother directly my brother was, he went on a holiday with his wife so I stepped into the caring role while he was away. While I was there I decided to help my mum clean out her handbag. That […]
They wouldn’t care as much as I do
I’m Candice and I have been caring for my Pop for 15 years, he is a Vietnam vet and has recently been diagnosed with cancer. I had a particularly hard day today trying to get my kids to school and him to all his hospital […]
Who are the people that can support me when I am caring for others?
My mother was deteriorating with dementia and her first fall was the beginning of a slow process of deterioration. Though my friends were around and helped listen to me every now and then, the real support came from my GP. He was there all through […]
Caring for someone who is far away
Caring from a distance Get a key box there so that people can let themselves in if I can’t make it. And you don’t need to have multiple sets of keys Personal alarm. I forced it on her, I put the neighbours as the next […]
How do I get my siblings on the same page?
Answered by Maria what I tried…. There are 5 of us siblings helping Mum to live at home alone – even though she has quite advanced dementia. I take the lead role, but have a couple of nights off a week. I made a communication […]
How do I keep friends and family in the loop?
Answered by Tricia what I tried…. I created a blog and emailed the link out to all of our friends and family. I was able to keep everyone updated on Steve’s progress, share photos and also suggest different ways for people to interact with Steve. […]