One of my college students read a recent blog post I published on COVID and nursing homes. She works in a nursing home, and she shared some of her experiences with me. I asked if she might consider writing a blog post to share her perspectives. Here it is: I walk into another day at […]
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, Election Anxiety, and Being Aware of Your Vibe
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”― Robert Frost I keep reminding myself of this as the United States is on edge with tomorrow’s election. (Maybe you’ve heard there’s an election tomorrow?) I feel like our nation has been divisively split into two camps. No matter who wins […]
Dementia, Masks, and a New Not-Normal in Nursing Homes
I wear a mask, and I encourage others to wear masks. None of what I am about to say changes that. But…masks are rough for people with dementia. Sure–it might be hard for someone with dementia to wear a mask correctly. But it’s more than that… Being around people wearing masks can be difficult, confusing, […]
When Family Caregivers Aren’t Allowed In
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 […]
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, […]
