What looks like defiance may be fear, confusion, impaired initiation, loss of control, embarrassment, pain, or even a task that no longer makes sense. Before we assume they won’t, ask whether they can understand, tolerate, or manage what is being asked in that moment. What is one situation where “no” seems to show up over and over?

Change one expectation that is harder than it needs to be. For example: ( and there are many) You don't need to attend all family gatherings or events. The challenge: ask yourself, is this something I really need to do? Or am I doing it because that's the way it's alwaysbeen done?

Dementia Caregiving doesn’t happen in a vacuum. A strategy can be good advice and still be impossible for that caregiver to carry out. Why? You have other aspects of your life that need as much attention as the caregiving: work, other family members, other responsibilities and those can lead to emotional wear and tear, physical limitations, and/or exhaustion. A caregiving plan is only workable if the caregiver can actually sustain it. I'd love to hear your thoughts on - What part of caregiving takes more out of you than other people probably realize?

Before deciding how you might TRY harder, notice, what was happening right before this difficult moment for YOU. You might find that the day at work was more stressful and time pressing, the family is waiting impatiently for dinner, you've had to wrangle dad to come sit at the table. Now we're looking at the whole system, your loved one and You. Sometimes the clue isn't only the person living with dementia

Change one Correction into one Emotional Response Before correcting, explaining, or reminding someone of something they said incorrectly, respond to the emotion. For example: Instead of: You already ate. Consider: You're still feeling hungry, let's find something small to nibble on.. So the challenge for today, is to select one correction/explaining to one emotional response.