One of my students scheduled a Zoom appointment with me (because that’s what we do now, right?). She’s a freshman and she has a new job at a memory care community. She wants to do a good job. She loves the residents. She has great questions for me about how to handle difficult situations. Have […]
Author: Elaine M. Eshbaugh, PhD
Professor of Family Services & Gerontology at the University of Northern Iowa.
http://www.uni.edu/csbs/sahs/gerontology/faculty-directory/elaine-m-eshbaugh-henninger
Dementia Caregiving and COVID
I haven’t given COVID as much attention in my blog as it deserves. I’ve started many posts and abandoned them because they felt inadequate. To be fair, I have gotten a bit of hate the few times I’ve written posts about COVID. Examples: I thought you were smarter than this. COVID isn’t any worse than […]
Grandmas, weddings, and dementia
I feel like this needs some attention because I get a lot of questions about it. Dementia and weddings. Grandma has dementia. Should I take her to her grandson’s wedding? Obviously, lot of people with dementia go to weddings and it’s a non-issue. People living with dementia even get married. However, as dementia progresses things […]
Limitations, Loss, and What is Left
“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” This one of my favorite quotes, and I try to follow the advice within. Last weekend I ran a half marathon. I almost didn’t. I had a few injuries. I hadn’t run for a couple weeks due to nerve pain. I knew the […]
Dementia, Attachment, and Unrelated Questions
“Can I ask an unrelated question?” I often get this question as an appointment with a college student is wrapping up. It is one of my favorite questions. It’s like that Forrest Gump box of chocolates deal. You never know what you’re going to get. Sometimes students want to know where I get my hair […]
See Ya Later, Alligator!
Hi friends, I wanted to let you know I’ll be taking my summer break from blogging for the next month or so. In August I’ll be doing a few Zoom presentations, so be looking for some info on that. If you need me, I’ll be teaching summer online courses, prepping for fall classes (whatever that […]
“Solo” Walks (aka I Walk Alone But It’s Fine You’re There)
When I was in my 20’s, I spent a lot of time volunteering for hospice. One of my first hospice patients was a woman in her 60’s who had dementia. Her son lived with her, but he needed a weekly respite. I was told she was active and liked to go for walks. In fact, […]
Zoom “When Dementia Knocks” Presentations: Tell Me What You Want and I’ll Do My Best!
Hi friends! I want you to know that I appreciate you. Whether you found me recently on social media or starting following me when I started writing this blog in January of 2015 (oh, wow, back when I was in my 30s!), I am flattered that you tune in every Monday morning to see what […]
Truth, Lies, and Dementia (aka How Many Times Can You Tell a Guy His Dog Died?)
Our dog, Karl, died a few years ago. His mind was willing, but his back legs and hips had enough. He lived to the ripe old age of 14…which is a ridiculously long time for an English mastiff to live. We adopted him when he was 6. I don’t know what his life looked like […]
Dementia, Love, and Forgetting: Can You Be Loved by Someone Who Has Forgotten You?
Once an older guy told me, “My wife has Alzheimer’s and doesn’t know who I am, but I still love her.” It struck me that he used the word but to connect those two statements–as if it were surprising that he still loved his wife. I didn’t find it surprising, of course. We don’t stop […]
