ElderCareWiz

01/01/2026

Short answer: yes, Dementia and Alzheimer’s diseases are terminal. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/185CceZEou/

12/27/2025

“Distracted by non-pharmacological interventions like art” 😂😂😂 I grew up learning medical documentation abbreviations because she would use it to write instructions on a post-it note when she wasn’t home. And she was always brief and to the point. She preferred to hangup the phone without saying goodbye at the end of a conversation. It wasn’t rudeness. She was on to her next task, efficient as ever.

Want to get the nurse on your side?? I teach families and students a secret. Rule #1 is “if you can write it on a post-it note, you can say it to a nurse”.

12/05/2025

One social worker’s opinion & tiny rant…I agree with the person who said “I don’t care what they call what I have, giving it a name just isn’t going to change anything.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/28/health/late-dementia-alzheimers.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

See graph from Alzheimer’s assoc where they show how Medicare spends more $$ for Alzheimer’s “care” than other diseases. More than heart disease and cancer combined. Think about that!

I bet that’s PET scans, MRIs and other expensive tests that don’t return on investment. We know it’s not on long term care where Medicaid pays for actual hands on assistance care. These docs pat eachother on the back and get accolades etc and wrap up with “now we need to develop treatments!” Which they have said for 30 years.

I’d rather we spend $ not just on research but actual help for caregivers. ’s

11/22/2025

New resource

11/22/2025

This could be a critical development in community dementia care if reimbursement is adequate to hire professional (and local) navigators. We’ll just have to see. So far only two organizations in eastern MA signed up.

Explore Medicare's GUIDE Model for dementia care: comprehensive support for patients & caregivers. Learn how to qualify & find programs in your state.

11/19/2025

I haven’t tried this but I will next chance I get!

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1ZjuvBVN1W/

11/13/2025

Tryin’ my hand at a lil substack y’all.

I’d like this to be a repository of lessons learned in aging, dementia care & death doula-ing. The tone is unprofessional and incorrigible, I promise.

Is this the beginning of the end?

10/28/2025

Me texting Scott when he would sub in for his mom’s appointments “You don’t stay in the waiting room!!”

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Kg3kRC1Ns/

09/30/2025

Resource update: check out this Dementia Cafe at the Southwick Library. Great way to decrease isolation and increase engagement.

08/14/2025

Say what you will, sometimes it’s the best for everyone. No one wants to linger anywhere, especially in long term care, so work at your advance directives to reflect your values.

Her mom is happier and healthier, but she doesn’t know how to respond to the judgment