Dementia Careblazers

Have you noticed your loved one with dementia seems like a completely different person every evening? The confusion, the agitation, the restlessness — and then the nights when they're up convinced it's morning — it's exhausting in a way that's hard to put into words. It is not something you caused or something you missed. New research published in December 2025 finally gives us a neurological explanation for why dementia gets worse in the evening, and it has nothing to do with what you are doing. In this episode I walk you through what the science reveals, what actually helps, and what tends to make it harder.
Get free weekly tools and tips in my newsletter, The Dementia Dose: https://tinyurl.com/dementiadose-podcast 
⏱ CHAPTERS 
0:00 - What evenings look like for many dementia caregivers
1:45 - What sundowning actually is
3:18 - New brain research: what's happening inside the brain
5:22 - 5 things that can help
8:11 - What tends to make it harder
#dementia #dementiacare #alzheimers #dementiacaregiver
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Hi, I'm Dr. Natali Edmonds, a board-certified geropsychologist specializing in dementia care. Whether your loved one has Alzheimer's, frontotemporal, Lewy body, vascular, or mixed dementia, we believe that to create a dementia-friendly world, we must first create a caregiver-friendly world.
This content is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare provider for medical guidance.

Making caregiving decisions is hard in a way most people around you won't understand. The stakes are real. The information is incomplete. And somewhere in the back of your mind, you're already afraid of being wrong.
If you've been circling a decision for weeks — or months — and still can't seem to make a move, your brain isn't broken. There are five specific thought patterns that make caregiving decisions feel nearly impossible, and once you can name them, something shifts. In this video I walk you through all five and what to actually do about them.
Ready to work through a real decision you've been dreading? Join me here: https://tinyurl.com/difficult-decisions-pod 
⏱ CHAPTERS
0:00 - The decision you've been avoiding
2:05 - Why not deciding still costs you
2:50 - The 5 thought patterns keeping you stuck
9:50 - What to do before this video ends
11:30 - The Difficult Decisions live class
#dementia #dementiacare #alzheimers #dementiacaregiver
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Hi, I'm Dr. Natali Edmonds, a board-certified geropsychologist specializing in dementia care. Whether your loved one has Alzheimer's, frontotemporal, Lewy body, vascular, or mixed dementia, we believe that to create a dementia-friendly world, we must first create a caregiver-friendly world.
This content is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare provider for medical guidance.

Being accused of stealing by the person you are giving everything to is one of the most quietly devastating things that happens in dementia caregiving.
It does not just feel unfair. It strikes at your identity, your dignity, and the relationship you had before all of this. And because it can happen over and over, with no memory that it happened before, many caregivers absorb these accusations alone, without ever really being told why it happens or what they can actually do. There is a neurological reason for this. And it has nothing to do with how your loved one truly feels about you.
In this episode I walk you through what is happening in the dementia brain that causes stealing accusations, why the instinct to defend yourself almost always backfires, and four specific things you can try the next time it happens.
If you'd like to see this episode on video, you can hop on over to my YouTube channel here.
Get free weekly tools and tips in my newsletter, The Dementia Dose: https://tinyurl.com/dementiadose-podcast 
⏱ CHAPTERS
0:00 - You are not alone: naming the experience
1:40 - The many ways stealing accusations show up
2:45 - Three things happening in the dementia brain
6:30 - Responses that unintentionally make things worse
9:00 - Four strategies that actually help
 
#dementia #dementiacare #alzheimers #dementiacaregiver
---
Hi, I'm Dr. Natali Edmonds, a board-certified geropsychologist specializing in dementia care. Whether your loved one has Alzheimer's, frontotemporal, Lewy body, vascular, or mixed dementia, we believe that to create a dementia-friendly world, we must first create a caregiver-friendly world.
This content is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare provider for medical guidance.

When your family doesn't believe the dementia diagnosis, it can feel like you are grieving two losses at once. Family denial is one of the most painful and isolating experiences a dementia caregiver can go through. In this episode, I'm going to explain why it happens and what you can actually do about it.
If you'd like to see this episode on video, you can hop on over to my YouTube channel here.
Get free weekly tools and tips in my newsletter, The Dementia Dose: https://tinyurl.com/dementiadose-podcast 
Chapters:
0:00 When family doesn't believe the diagnosis
2:13 Why this feels so isolating
4:04 Reason 1: Denial is protective
5:00 Reason 2: Visiting isn't caregiving
6:27 Reason 3: Anosognosia
7:30 You didn't cause this
8:00 Why convincing them backfires
10:00 What actually helps
12:26 What you're allowed to feel
 
#dementia #dementiacare #alzheimers #dementiacaregiver
---
Hi, I'm Dr. Natali Edmonds, a board-certified geropsychologist specializing in dementia care. Whether your loved one has Alzheimer's, frontotemporal, Lewy body, vascular, or mixed dementia, we believe that to create a dementia-friendly world, we must first create a caregiver-friendly world.
This content is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare provider for medical guidance.

A new Alzheimer's blood test was just approved by the FDA and it changes everything about how families get answers. For years, confirming Alzheimer's disease meant expensive brain scans or invasive procedures most people couldn't access. Now a simple blood draw can detect Alzheimer's markers in the body... up to 3 to 4 years before symptoms even begin.
In this episode I break down what the Alzheimer's blood test actually measures, how accurate it is, and what you can ask your doctor right now.
If you'd like to see this episode on video, you can hop on over to my YouTube channel here.
Get free weekly tools and tips in my newsletter, The Dementia Dose: https://tinyurl.com/dementiadose-podcast 
CHAPTERS
00:00 You are not imagining this
01:18 Why an Alzheimer's diagnosis has always been so hard to get
03:30 What doctors were working with before
05:00 The new blood test: what it measures and how it works
07:15 How accurate is it?
08:30 What this means for you right now
11:00 What can still make this harder


#dementia #dementiacare #alzheimers #dementiacaregiver
---
Hi, I'm Dr. Natali Edmonds, a board-certified geropsychologist specializing in dementia care. Whether your loved one has Alzheimer's, frontotemporal, Lewy body, vascular, or mixed dementia, we believe that to create a dementia-friendly world, we must first create a caregiver-friendly world.
This content is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare provider for medical guidance.