‘Letting Go’ of Fear Eases Caregiving

When my husband, Dave was diagnosed with Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) 3  1/2  years ago, I was terrified. I didn’t know how we were going to manage with a disease more dreaded than cancer. With cancer, there is hope of a cure or remission. With dementia there isn’t any.Bestselling author Byron Katie says…” there is no greater illusion than fear. It’s caused by believing what you think. It’s always a story of a future, projected from our past.” Living with... 

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Changing Perspective is Key to Easier Living with Dementia

Life over the past 3 ½ years has been a time of massive personal growth. I never imagined that my husband, Dave, would be diagnosed with a form of dementia (Frontotemporal) at the young age of 57. I also never imagined that my life would be richer because of this diagnosis. There is no denying there are difficult times, or that there are moments when I don’t think I can handle one more change, one more responsibility. But I am finding it easier to move through those periods simply by changing... 

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Faith: a 2 legged dog has a different perspective on life

It is Christmas time and there are lots of great stories I could write about, but the one I received this morning from my daughter had the biggest message of all… There was a puppy born on Christmas Eve, 2002, with 2 legs. His mother, the breeder and his first owner didn’t think he would ever walk and thought he should be put down. But along came Jude Stringfellow, a teacher, and someone who had the belief that this pup would walk some day. She named him Faith. Through coaxing and... 

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Learning to Live in Harmony with Frontotemporal Dementia

Byron Katie’s book, ‘A Thousand Names for Joy’ (Living in Harmony with the way things are) is a great book for where I am in life.  The chapters are short and each one has a story or message about being in total ease in the present moment (painful or not). Since my husband, Dave was diagnosed with Frontotemporal dementia 3 years ago, this book is another reminder of one of the biggest lessons I am learning…accepting what is. In one of her stories, Katie describes a conversation with Peter,... 

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Another Glimpse into our Life with Dementia

I was watching Jerry & Esther Hicks’ DVD, Let Loose, and something they said hit home…”when you engage in what is fun within you, life is funner”.  It is amazing how children do this naturally. For the past 2 days I haven’t been feeling well—the common cold. When I am not well, I tend to look at life from the bottom half of the glass. Despite my husband having frontotemporal dementia, I appreciate  lessons about patience, flexibility and surrendering to what life is giving me, but... 

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Setting yourself free

Have you ever been so mad that your head feels like it is exploding? Or, so terrified, that you can’t breathe and you feel like you are going to pass out? Being human will bring on all sorts of moods and emotions. Fortunately, most of us manage to work through these difficult periods, but at what cost? A serious illness, accident or just plain bad luck? The movie, The Secret, tells us about the Law of Attraction–whatever you focus your attention on, you will get more of... 

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Surrendering to Dementia

Usually when I sit down to write a post or an article, my head gets in the way. I begin editing and thinking too hard and the words don’t flow easily. I am slowly understanding why it happens–the first step to curing it. It is about  ‘surrendering’ or letting go of the process of writing. I need to stop worrying about what readers will think, and just write. In fact, surrendering is a word which has taken on a whole different meaning since my husband, Dave, was diagnosed... 

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