Sympathetic noises are just that, but empathic ones sustain friendship because they create emotional resonance, a sense of solidarity with our friend in facing immediate and long-term challenges living with dementia or other long-term conditions. Empathy breeds compassion.
What do we know about what supports caregivers? In a previous column I suggested six things; a notebook, knowledge, skills, a plan, occasional respite, and our continued friendship this column is about knowledge. Truly little, even parenting or work life, prepares us for being responsible for care and support of
Do not miss the museum, where you will discover accounts of the bravery and courage of those who defended U.S. freedoms, many wartime artifacts, and the story of the land itself. There are also walking trails on the property.
Charles DeGaulle, former prime minister of France famously said "Old age is a shipwreck" which he used to describe the inevitable physical and cognitive decline, vulnerability, and loss of independence that accompanied the advanced age of a colleague.
Upon learning a friend has a diagnosis of dementia we find ourselves in an awkward moment—what do I do or say? My suggestion is to be a friend and find a way—the loss of friends for persons with dementia is often reported as one of the biggest losses they face.
