Latest Totem Podcast Episodes
"What if I say the wrong thing?"
Dementia By Day - January 03, 2022 07:00 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratings“What if at some point I say something that completely confuses the person living with dementia? Should I really do this Embracing their reality thing, because what if I embrace the wrong reality and then they get upset?” Here’s the real deal: you are 100% going to say something you shouldn’t ...
“How do I know if I’m getting burned out?”
Dementia By Day - December 27, 2021 07:00 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsThis is a great question! But, unfortunately, this is a question that most caregivers don’t ask until they are deeply burned out. Sometimes people don’t give themselves enough space and time to take care of their own things. Actually, I used to be that kind of person until I got more serious i...
"But won’t agreeing with their delusions make them sicker?"
Dementia By Day - December 20, 2021 07:00 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratings‘What if my mom believes something that’s not true, and I keep embracing her reality... won’t that eventually make her more confused?’ You’ve probably already guessed this one, and the answer is NO. There’s no scientific evidence that letting a person believe they are correct will make them ...
“When should I move her into memory care?”
Dementia By Day - December 13, 2021 07:00 - 4 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsI get this question all the time! For starters, I don’t like the term “memory care.” Why? Because not all people living with dementia have issues with their memory. So, how do you know when it’s time? Don’t wait until they tell you it is time, because...they aren’t going to. While there’s ...
“Why is she having trouble understanding me?”
Dementia By Day - December 06, 2021 07:00 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsThis question is more common than you think, and it’s usually related to doing different tasks around the house that we all take for granted, attributing them to annoying chores we have to do. However, for someone living with dementia, these little tasks can actually seem difficult and overwhe...
“Why is he having trouble speaking?”
Dementia By Day - November 29, 2021 07:00 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsThis one usually comes along with, “Is he going to lose his ability to speak altogether?” The answer is, like everything else with dementia…maybe. Aphasia is a communication-related issue that happens when the person loses his ability to communicate verbally. There are different kinds of aph...
“How can I convince my brother to let us move mom?”
Dementia By Day - November 22, 2021 07:00 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsYou may not be in this exact situation, but I can guarantee that there’s someone in your life that is not cool with wanting to transition your loved one living with dementia to a dementia care community. “Don’t you have a caregiver come in a few times? Isn’t that enough?” They are guilting you...
"Why won’t she take a shower?"
Dementia By Day - November 15, 2021 07:00 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsThis is a great question because this issue comes up differently for everybody. I’ve had clients who would get in the shower no problem one day, and the following day, it would be a complete battle to get them to get in the shower! So, why won’t they do these easy tasks that they always used t...
"How do we tell him that we sold his house?"
Dementia By Day - November 08, 2021 07:00 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsIf you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while, you’ll probably know the answer to this one… YOU DON’T TELL THEM. Your loved one may be pretty attached to that house and to the feeling of home that it holds for them, so you can imagine how traumatic it can be to tell them that you sold...
"How do I tell her that her sister died?"
Dementia By Day - November 01, 2021 06:00 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsThis is a raw question that I hear pretty often... how do I tell my loved one that somebody in their lives has passed away? The short answer? YOU DON’T. I know you may feel like you have to tell them, but think about it for a second: Is it really a good idea to bring your loved one into that...
"We got him a diagnosis, but what happens next?"
Dementia By Day - October 25, 2021 06:00 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsWhat do you do when a loved one has received the diagnosis of dementia? Who and where do you turn to? Honestly, most people figure it out on their own… And if you are listening to this podcast, it’s probably because you are looking for a place to start. Stay for the entirety of the episode f...
When will she stop recognizing me?
Dementia By Day - October 18, 2021 06:00 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsThis is a question I get asked pretty frequently. Note: If you haven’t listened to last week’s episode about embracing somebody’s reality, I recommend you do; because it all ties together today. Plenty of people go through the entire course of the disease and are able to place all of their lov...
"I don’t want to lie to him, so what do I say instead?"
Dementia By Day - October 11, 2021 06:00 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsToday we are covering an issue that’s a real challenge for people, even those who have been living with a loved one with dementia for a long time. So, what do you do when someone you are caring for asks a direct question? Do you tell them the truth? Or do you just make something up? My Embrac...
"How do I know if they actually have Dementia?"
Dementia By Day - October 04, 2021 06:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsWe're back for season 4 of the Dementia By Day podcast! Today, I’m talking all about how to know if the person I’m caring for actually has dementia. It’s a question I get a lot because there’s a lot of conflicting information out there on what dementia really is. Dementia is a group of sympto...
A Low-Drama Dementia Care Transition
Dementia By Day - February 22, 2021 10:00 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsThis is my last episode for a bit! I'm switching back to blogging after 3 seasons of audio, so I hope to see you over on my blog come March! In this final episode of season 3, we talk about dementia care transitions. What's it like to bring in a home caregiver? What about moving someone to a c...
How to Talk About Talking ABOUT Dementia
Dementia By Day - February 15, 2021 10:00 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsHow we talk about a thing defines that thing. When we use words like "fiblets" or "lies" or even, "therapeutic lying," we undermine the good that we're trying to do as dementia care partners. Why does it matter how we talk about dementia communication? Why is tossing out the word "lying" so impo...
What is Mini-Reorientation?
Dementia By Day - February 08, 2021 10:00 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsJump in to this episode on MINI-REORIENTATION and what that all means. To put it simply, I just made that term up. In fact, I made it up back in season one of my podcast, and in today's episode, I tell you WHY. Learn why it's so important to Embrace Their Reality(TM) instead of leaning on reorie...
Improving Dementia Care With Improv
Dementia By Day - February 01, 2021 10:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsI've been doing improv comedy for over TEN YEARS (woah) and I absolutely love performing. I've also found that my experience doing improv has made me a better dementia care partner: I'm super fast on my feet and able to adjust to someone else's reality with ease, wherever that reality is. Tune i...
Episode 30: "PIVOT!"
Low Man on the Totem Pole - January 31, 2021 07:30 - 49 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsWe made it through a year that blindsided ALL of us--give yourself a hand and cut yourself some slack for making it to the other side of 2020! In this new year, when we can now see a little more clearly what lies ahead, how do we adjust to the changes that we KNOW are happening; in our industry, ...
Is That a Hallucination or a Delusion?
Dementia By Day - January 25, 2021 10:00 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsHallucinations and Delusions are some of the most difficult situations for families to deal with. People often misconstrue the terms Hallucination and Delusion. On today's podcast I will dissect the difference and guide you on how best to help if a loved one is struggling with one (or both!) Lis...
"I Want to Go Home!" And What to Say Back
Dementia By Day - January 18, 2021 10:00 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsIn this episode I revisit another difficult situation in Dementia Caregiving. "I want to go home" is the prefect time to Embrace Their Reality (tm). There are some pretty good do's and don't(s) when dealing with this topic and I will share some of the tricks to getting your loved one though thei...
Is This Depression OR Dementia?!
Dementia By Day - January 11, 2021 10:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsDid you know that Dementia and Depression are positively correlated? In this week's episode I will explain how Dementia and Depression typically go hand in hand, the importance of not sidelining Depression symptoms when it comes to a loved one with Dementia, and physician guidance and support in...
When They Think They're Still Working
Dementia By Day - January 04, 2021 10:00 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsTodays episode focuses on what to do when a loved one with Dementia thinks that they still need to go to work. Keeping in mind the Embrace Their Reality (TM) mantra, let them work! Lean into their reality and line it up for them. My audiobook is a great companion tool to have after this podcast...
When They Think They Don't Need Help
Dementia By Day - December 28, 2020 10:00 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsWhat do you do when the person living with dementia clearly needs help, and says, "I don't need your help"! Yet, it is quite clear they do need help to be able to live safely and with the dignity they deserve. What do you do? How do you convince them? Do we really want or need to do that? Is thi...
3 Ways to Stop Sweatin' the Holidays
Dementia By Day - December 21, 2020 10:00 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsWhen it comes to dementia care, so much is up in the air this time of year. Corona Virus has certainly added a unique twist and added dimension for us to all live with, and manage. When it comes to the holidays, what will this year's festivities and traditions look like? We want things to be per...
After the Dementia Care Move: Changes, Feelings and Worries
Dementia By Day - December 14, 2020 10:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsThis episode addresses what happens after you move your family member or loved one into a dementia care community. Oh those emotions! What happens after the move? What is next? How will you be feeling? Transitioning into a care community decision is a stressful decision. This is often the very l...
What Ambiguous Loss Is—And Why You're Feeling It!
Dementia By Day - December 07, 2020 10:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsIn this episode we dive into a a very timely topic to address, yet a very difficult and hard to discuss one: Ambiguous Loss. What is it? Why are you feeling it? How do we manage it? This is a remix of an episode from Season 2 where I discuss what is this type of loss, and why it's important to u...
Activities Every Dementia Care Partner Needs to Know
Dementia By Day - November 30, 2020 10:00 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsAs a care partner to someone living with dementia, the "stuff you need to know" can feel pretty overwhelming. In this episode, I dive into some SUPER EASY activities and programs that you can bring into your caregiving! The last thing that you need as a caregiver is more work and more challenges...
Episode 29: Handling Life on a Hybrid Team
Low Man on the Totem Pole - November 25, 2020 07:30 - 58 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsPlanning for 2021 is already daunting, given the year we've all just had! Especially if you are a manager with employees remote and onsite--or if you are still WFH while many of your teammates are back in the office--you may have a lot of questions about how you are going to "show up" for everyon...
When You're Too Sick to be a Caregiver
Dementia By Day - November 23, 2020 10:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsSometimes, caregiving is too much. What happens if you're feeling sick, or worse, chronically ill? How can you handle the burden of caregiving? We'll discuss the challenges and stresses that come with caregiving, particularly if you're the only one doing the job. Learn more about me at rachael...
Related Totem Topics
- Dementia 2