Have you moved beyond the initial steps of your caregiving journey and now find yourself needing to take more control while your loved one still believes they can do most things independently? Are you noticing that simple tasks are becoming increasingly challenging for them, yet they resist your help? You’re not alone! You’ve entered what we call the “messy middle” stage of your caregiving journey.

We created for you the comprehensive, 20-step caregiving journey roadmap guide, Navigating Dementia Caregiving Roadmap

Connect with us and share your tips:

Full Show Notes

Additional Resources Mentioned

Messy Middle

First Steps - You recognize it’s time to assert more control

11. Focus on safety.

Listen to these podcasts or read these blogs.
Home Alone - Hear about the deal breakers for living home alone:
21 minute TCJ podcast: 6. Home Alone
TCJ blog: 6. Home Alone.
Medication - Understand strategies to safely manage medication:
20 minute TCJ podcast: 20. Medication Management
TCJ blog: 20. Medication Management.
Home Safety - Find approaches to the basics of home safety:
25 minute TCJ podcast: 7. Home Safety
TCJ blog: 7. Home Safety
Wandering - Learn ways to manage three types of wandering: outside, inside and during the night.
20 minute TCJ podcast: 4. Wandering
TCJ blog: 4. Wandering.

12. Continue to prioritize your self-care.

Understand how to approach the realities of self-care:
23 minute TCJ podcast: 27. The Realities of Caregiver Self-Care
TCJ blog: 27. The Reality of Caregiver Self-Care.

13. Educate yourself on activities of daily living (ADLs).

Prepare for changes in your loved ones ability to manage their ADLs.
Listen to these podcasts or read these blogs on activities of daily living:
26 minute TCJ podcast: 9. Preparing for Incontinence
TCJ blog: 9. Preparing for Incontinence
21 minute TCJ podcast: 14. Bathing and Dressing
TCJ blog: 14. Bathing and Dressing
21 minute TCJ podcast: 15. Personal Care e.g. brushing teeth, trimming hair
TCJ blog: 15. Personal Care
21 minute TCJ podcast: 16. Eating and Drinking
TCJ blog: 16. Eating and Drinking.

14.Create a Care Plan - at minimum a Family Emergency Plan.

25 minute TCJ podcast: 33. How to Create a Care Plan
TCJ blog: 33. Creating a Care Plan.

Messy Middle - Continued

Second Steps - It’s time for more support

15. Start or increase leveraging dementia/adult day programs.

Community resource finder:
Select Community Services and choose Adult Day Centers for your search.

16. Start thinking about professional help.

Educate yourself:
Evaluate continuing care communities (even if you never plan to use one) just in case.
33 minute TCJ podcast: 28. Home and Community Living Options
TCJ blog: 28. Home and Community Living Options.
Understand the types of paid caregivers:
26 minute TCJ podcast: 32. Hiring a Paid Caregiver
TCJ blog: 32. Hiring a Paid Caregiver.
Find an organization to help. Search online: ‘Senior Care Advisor’ + ‘your area’.
Look for options yourself. Go to the Community Resource Finder sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association and AARP.

17. Continue your education.

Take the Savvy Caregiver Advanced training (this can be taken in-person or virtually).
Delusions:
38 minute TCJ podcast: 23. Delusions
TCJ blog: 23. Delusions.
Incontinence:
26 minute TCJ podcast: 10. Incontinence Begins
TCJ blog: 10. Incontinence Begins.

Support the nonprofit The Caregiver's Journey: https://give.cornerstone.cc/thecaregiversjourney

Navigating Dementia Caregiving Roadmap: Messy Middle Steps 11-17 / Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias

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