Many of us have favorite songs that can help us relax after a hectic day or get us moving on the dance floor. Music can also be a powerful gateway to memory; for example, a song from our past may bring back memories that trigger strong emotions. But what is [...]
In the tender journey of dementia caregiving, the unbreakable bond between caregivers and their loved ones forms the heart and soul of each step taken. Being real – our most outstanding achievements happen when we team up with others. That's what partnership is all about, and it's the heartbeat of [...]
Laughter in Dementia Care: A Healing Revelation I still remember my father’s birthday, a day that could have been shadowed by the complexity of dementia. Our household was filled not with melancholy but with a heartwarming glow of joy and laughter. Jamie, a care partner and dear family friend dressed [...]
We all know to eat right, exercise, and get a good night’s sleep to stay healthy. But can flexing our creative muscles help us thrive as we age? Ongoing research looking at singing group programs, theater training, and visual arts for older adults suggest that participating in the arts may improve the health, well-being, and [...]
We’re in the midst of a major crisis, and it all hinges on the food we eat. Most people are eating food that’s fueling the deadliest afflictions of our time, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's, and cancer. The good news is that eating the RIGHT foods not only [...]
Introduction In the previous parts of this article, we've begun to take a look into the concept of reparations for people living with dementia, what they could mean for our society, and why the quality of our dementia care is disturbing and unsettling. We've explored the different perspectives and factors [...]
Introduction Welcome to ABeautifulVoice.org, where today we're diving into a thought-provoking topic raised in part 1 of our article: "Reparations for harm to people living with dementia in residential aged care." As we explore this issue, we'll be taking a closer look at Australia, the home country of the authors [...]
“I think all of the people I’ve spoken to in my advocacy journey, the reason they are involved is because they don’t want what happened to them to happen to other people. That is the guiding thing. I don’t want anybody else to go through what my parents went through. [...]
Having just posted a quote by Robert Emmons, PhD, on our Facebook page, I was reminded of my parents' non-stop gratitude when we were "care-living" together (1998-2012). If there had been just one single, intangible factor which kept us together and well-functioning during those years, it was the constant expression of [...]
“When we are counting our blessings, this part of the brain is giving us this neural currency that makes us literally richer,” says Karns, director of her department’s Emotions and Neuroplasticity Project. “Making use of this neural currency, giving is something that is done with a grateful heart, with a [...]