Eldercare is becoming more about caring for those with dementia.  Because our fastest growing segment of the population are those 85 and older, it correlates with the rise in people living with dementia.  In fact, one in three people age 85 and older are living with some level of dementia.   There are over 1 million Americans living with Parkinson's Disease and over 10 million worldwide.  This number is also rising with the increase in longevity.

I just learned about the Purple Table Reservations program and was beyond excited to learn and share with my readers.

I had a few "Aha" moments this past weekend that made me realize just how prevalent the fear of dementia is in our society,  and how we must redirect our thinking in order to transform how we look at Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

Walking in the shoes of someone living with dementia is challenging at best, especially since every person, like shoes -  is different!  There is an urgent need to help professional and family caregivers communicate and respond to the needs of their care partners.  A walk in their shoes is a powerful and very needed training and education tool to help others develop understanding, empathy and improve care.

Studies affirm that almost 80 percent of people with dementia listed shopping as a favorite activity.  At the same time, 63 percent of people surveyed didn't think that shops were doing enough to help people with dementia.

What's it really like to live with dementia?  To cope with the anxiety, embarrassment, feelings of loss and hopeless that can so often accompany the progression of dementia.  There are far too many caregivers today who are struggling with truly understanding the depths of living with cognitive decline and sensory changes.  Instead caregivers try to cope with what's on the surface.  Transformation takes place when caregivers change how they think, feel and act!

I wonder if "retirement" will be one of those words that get's shelved as such a "twenty-tens" thing.  Why the buzz about nixing retirement?