Supporting Caregivers

When Dolly Parton spoke publicly about her health after losing her husband, Carl Dean, she said something that caregivers everywhere understood immediately. Carl had been sick for a long time. Dolly had spent those years watching over the man she had loved for nearly six decades. And somewhere in the middle of taking care of him, she stopped paying enough attention to herself. In October 2025, Dolly explained: “When he passed, I didn't take care of myself, so I let a lot of t

If you are caring for someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s and suddenly find yourself struggling just to get them into the shower, you are not alone. You've wondered "Why are some people with Dementia or Alzheimer’s Afraid of Water". This was something I experienced while caring for my husband Mike. What makes it especially confusing is that the person you are caring for may have loved water before dementia. Mike did. Yet as his dementia progressed, things that had once been

One of the hardest things about dementia caregiving is that sometimes you have to become the bad guy when you are really just trying to keep the person you love safe. Driving is one of those situations. They may look at you and tell you there is absolutely nothing wrong with their driving. They may get angry, accuse you of trying to control them or tell you that you are treating them like a child. Meanwhile, you may be sitting there thinking, How do I make you understand that

There is a kind of grief that comes with dementia that can be incredibly difficult to explain to someone who hasn't lived it. The person you love is still sitting beside you. You can still see them, hold their hand, prepare their meals, help them get dressed, take them to appointments, and tell them you love them. Yet little by little, pieces of the person and the relationship you once knew may begin to change. The conversations are different. The routines are different. The

When I was caring for my late husband, Mike, at home, I learned something no handbook could have taught me: you don't have to do everything the way you've always done it. As his dementia progressed, ordinary parts of our day became harder. Getting dressed, taking medications, going to the bathroom, preparing meals, leaving the house and even sleeping required more thought and planning. Underneath all of it was the constant responsibility of keeping him safe. For a long time,

One of the hardest realities of caring for someone with dementia is knowing that, despite your best efforts, they can disappear in a matter of seconds. I know that fear all too well. My late husband, Mike, was diagnosed with early-onset dementia at just 53 years old. As his disease progressed, wandering became one of my greatest fears. Then one night, my worst nightmare became reality. Mike disappeared for over 13 hours. Those were the longest 13 hours of my life. After that

If you have ever cared for someone with dementia and watched their behavior change as afternoon faded into evening, you know how difficult those hours can be. They may have been having a fairly good day, and then something changes. They become restless. They start pacing. They ask the same question again and again. They may insist they need to go home even though they are already home. They may become frightened, suspicious, angry, or unwilling to let you out of their sight.

By Donna Sparks Farmer Founder, CareDonna Whether you're caring for your child, spouse, partner, parent, grandchild, sibling, another family member, or supporting a friend with autism, one of the greatest gifts you can give is understanding. If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism. That simple statement reminds us that every autistic individual is unique. Each person has their own strengths, challenges, interests, and way of experiencing the wo