snow bank in the trees | the DAWN Method

Keep Me Safe, But Let Me be Me

Transitions from one life stage to another are always complicated. As teenagers become adults, their parents maintain a delicate balance between continued supervision and granting increasing responsibility. The process is rarely smooth. It goes in fits and starts, with spectacular failures interspersed with glowing successes. And it’s the same with the appearance of dementia. How … Read more

Pine forest with snow and sunburst

Mindlessness—the Benefits of Automatic Thinking for Dementia

At DAWN, we believe in allowing people to age in place for as long as possible. However, it’s not always feasible to keep someone who is experiencing dementia at home through the end of life. How can families make moving someone with dementia less distressing? Let’s consider the ways we’ve helped our clients here at … Read more

trees by a country road

Don’t Move Them—Let Them Use Mindlessness

Ellen Langer has been writing about the value of mindfulness for over 35 years. I read her book Mindfulness in the early 1990s. I still have my copy. In it, she points out the tremendous influence context has on our perception of something’s value. She gives the example of heroin, something we consider intrinsically bad, … Read more

orange sunflower | the DAWN Method

Maximizing the “Assisted” in Assisted Living

Families often move their loved ones into assisted living so they will be safer and can enjoy more social interaction. As people age at home, it becomes more difficult to get out. When dementia is part of the picture, the likelihood of isolation is increased. The obvious solution would seem to be a move into … Read more

frosted brown oak leaves on tree | the DAWN Method

Keeping a Sense of Home Alive

How to make a move to a care facility less distressing At DAWN, we believe in preserving dignity and autonomy and allowing people to age in place for as long as possible. However, it is not always feasible to keep someone who is experiencing dementia at home. Here are a few more tips about how … Read more

red and green maple leaves | the DAWN Method

How to Choose a Care Facility

At DAWN, we believe in preserving dignity and autonomy, and allowing people to age in place for as long as possible. However, it is not always feasible to keep someone who is experiencing dementia at home. Being the primary caregiver of someone who is experiencing dementia is exhausting, but it is especially debilitating if you … Read more