by Ava Butler | May 16, 2022 | Caregiving, Depression, Parkinson's
Thanks to AARP’s Jen A Miller for this excellent article. My dear husband, Richard, exhibited all of them. Some signs of Parkinson’s disease are ones most of us recognize, such as tremor and trouble walking. But very early signs of the disease, which can appear...
by Ava Butler | Apr 25, 2022 | Assisted living, Caregiving, Dementia, Depression, Lewy body dementia, Parkinson's, Uncategorized
Zach Mercurio’s article The Science of Mattering: Why Feeling Significant Is So Significant resonates with me. People with dementia or other challenges still need to feel that they are important, that they matter. Everyone does. Zack describes how feeling...
by Ava Butler | Apr 10, 2022 | Caregiving, Dementia, Lewy body dementia, Parkinson's, Support groups, Uncategorized
As a caregiver, you may have heard the term “self-care” mentioned quite a bit. It’s an important topic for caregivers—one many don’t know enough about. Below are some top self-care tips for you and your loved one. Thanks to Beverly Nelson of...
by Ava Butler | Feb 17, 2022 | Assisted living, Caregiving, Dementia, end of life, Lewy body dementia, Parkinson's, Support groups
In my last blog I shared the link to the Five Wishes, a legally binding document describing your end-of-life decisions. In this blog, I share two additional dementia and end-of-life tools. These are from Compassion and Choices organization, which is a fabulous and...
by Ava Butler | Feb 7, 2022 | Caregiving, Dementia, Final wishes, Lewy body dementia, Parkinson's
The New York Times recently had a powerful article titled Who Are We Caring for in the I.C.U.? It features a doctor reckoning with patient’s family members insisting on care that the patient may not want. It breaks my heart that families don’t talk with each...
by Ava Butler | Jan 21, 2022 | Caregiving, Dementia, Depression, Grieving, Lewy body dementia, Parkinson's, Uncategorized
I just got through my 5th holiday season as a widow. They get easier, but can still suck. I’ve put a lot of effort into being a better person through it all. The journey is a long, but I’m grateful for it. David Kessler’s work has really helped me...
