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Robin’s Wish: a new documentary about Robin Williams and Lewy Body Dementia
I highly recommend the new documentary about Robin Williams and Lewy body dementia. It alternates between paying tribute to Robin and shedding light on Lewy body dementia, which was diagnosed in him after his death. I wish my dear husband, Richard and I had this...
The Link Between Parkinson’s Disease and Toxic Chemicals
A new book calls the increasing prominence of Parkinson’s “a man-made pandemic.” From the New York Times, Jane Brody writes: Michael Richard Clifford, a 66-year-old retired astronaut living in Cary, N.C., learned before his third spaceflight that he had Parkinson’s...
Podcast: When Life Gives You Parkinson’s
I had the pleasure of meeting Larry Gifford at the MJFF's Parkinson's IQ + You event in Phoenix last January. He was the moderator for the day, and interviewed me as part of a panel called “If I Knew Then What I Know Now.” Larry does a weekly podcast called When Life...
It’s Different to Grieve the Death of a Loved One When They Have Been Sick for a Long Time
27 June 2017 Written for OptionB.org https://optionb.org/ It’s different to grieve the death of a loved one when they have been sick for a long time. It isn’t as shocking, and it includes a sense of relief that the suffering is over. But I’m not sure that it’s...
What should you say when someone you know is grieving?
Its can be awkward to know what to say when someone you know is grieving. And there is a lot of grieving going on now. Its true what the author of the attached article says "You can suffer an enormous loss and hear almost nothing from people you thought you were...
Grieving during the pandemic
Grieving is difficult at any time, and especially difficult now. We grieve for many reasons, the loss of life, of income, and the loss of hugs and kisses to name a few. We miss our loved ones in assisted living, and our friends and family across the world or across...
Hospital Patients with Dementia Need their Caregivers
Anyone who has had a loved one with dementia in the hospital knows how important it is for you to be there to help them through and avoid complications. This article provides practical tips on how to support your loved ones in the best way you can during Covid-19...
Stories from the Apocalypse
Ok I know it’s a pandemic not the apocalypse. But apocalypse is more dramatic and fun to say. 29 March 2020 Anyone who knows me, knows that I hate to cook, and I hate to clean. As I’ve been saying for years, I only make martinis and reservations. When the salad bar...
Tacoma’s Too-Big Promotion
April and May 2018 After Richard died, the question was what to do with Tacoma. He couldn’t stay with me, as I’m gone too much. Andy, the owner of Via Elegante, Richard’s last assisted living place, offered to take Tacoma as the house dog for his facility in Sierra...
How the Montessori Method Works in Dementia Care
Many of us are challenged caring for loved ones with dementia in the best of times. These are not the best of times. The below article offers practical advise on using the Montessori method for “patient-centered” care. The model involves patients in decisions about...