Caregiving starts out with the best of intentions to help someone who is experiencing a loss of abilities either temporarily or as the result of a chronic condition. While the kindness impulse isn’t a bad thing, it can lead to completely taking over someone’s life, not just assisting them.
Dr. G. Allen Power, a dementia care expert and author of “Dementia Beyond Drugs” and “Dementia Beyond Disease” talks about partnering in care in this video.
“I think the most common error made is buying into this declinist view of dementia,” Dr. Power, a geriatrician, says in the video. “What family members do is they take over for the person and in doing so feel this terrible burden.”
Does this sound familiar? If so, Dr. Power has some suggestions on caring in a slightly different way, as more of a partner than trying to live someone else’s life for them. While Dr. Power specializes in dementia, this approach to care can apply to people living with a variety of challenges or conditions.
Click here or watch below.
