When Caregiving Calls: Managing Dementia with Love and Patience

I had an entirely different post planned for today. Still, considering how yesterday went, I decided to do something different and publish the other post later.

After returning from our family vacation last week, we were only home for a day as we had to head down to Tucson so my daughter could complete her state testing, which she had missed due to us being gone. Because I had returned home sick, I decided that I would also just take another week for myself. I really needed to recover, and with a head cold, I did not feel I could adequately do what I usually do while sick and traveling.

So, this week, I decided to knuckle down and try to catch up on any unfinished work and get back on track with my daily tasks. However, life had other plans for me.

Since December 2020, I have been the primary person responsible for taking care of my grandmother, who has been diagnosed with dementia. I also have a lot of frustration concerning her care and other issues that have come up because I do not see eye to eye with the person with whom I share this responsibility. But my grandmother needs someone to advocate in her court, so I have chosen to play nice with others for the time being because that is probably the only way I can get through this time.

I placed her in a nursing home that is about 45 minutes away from where I live, and overall, they are amazing. Yesterday, the coordinator called to let me know that they needed me to take her…