FAQ’s

Positive Dementia Paths will help you find the answers to these questions!

Is what I’m feeling normal?

  1. Every feeling you have is okay to have. Rage, sadness, loss, frustration, exhaustion, tenderness, uncertainty… whatever it is you feel. It is all “normal”. Being with a person who has memory loss 24 hours a day can take its toll on anyone.
  2. It is important for caregivers to talk about their feelings with someone who is non-judgmental, accepting, and empathetic. Find someone in your life who can provide that for you. It may not be a family member. But get it out. Talking about it will help. It may not change your circumstances, but it will make you feel better.
  3. Every caregiver has strengths and limitations and each one experiences providing care for a person with dementia in a unique way. It’s important to seek help to make the caregiving job easier, and also to keep the caregiver healthy
  4. If you are feeling so frustrated, tired, or depressed you think you are neglecting your own health or you cannot continue to be patient with the person with dementia SEEK HELP! Call the Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 helpline at 1-800-272-3900

When should I seek help?

Help can be used at various stages of memory loss:

  1. For people with early memory loss- Positive Dementia Paths (PDP) offers alternative systems for helping with organization and safety
  2. For people with mid-stage memory loss Positive Dementia Paths (PDP) offers training and education for the caregiver to keep the person with dementia engaged in life activities, including daily living skills, recreation, or calming techniques.
  3. For people with later stage memory loss PDP offers instruction to the caregiver about how to safely move, bathe, or feed the person with dementia.

What kinds of help do I need?

  1. Communication: Learn different approaches that work better at different stages of the disease
  2. Task break down: Understand what the person still CAN do guides expectations of the person’s realistic abilities to be independent
  3. Task set up: Know how to set up a task so you don’t have to do it all, and how to save your energy when you do it
  4. Safety considerations: Safety is important for both the person with memory loss AND the caregiver- it goes beyond physical safety, to emotional and psychological safety

Positive Dementia Paths provides education and training to help you learn the skills and knowledge to become a confident caregiver