snow outside cabin with skis and poles | the DAWN Method

“We’re all just walking each other home.”

You may recognize this quote as something said by Ram Dass, an American spiritual leader of the 1960-70s. To me, it is a profoundly simple way to describe the role of caregiving. It doesn’t matter whether the person we are caring for is experiencing cancer, the flu, dementia, or grief. Offering care means being a companion, … Read more

Pond and bench at park with fog

The Experiential Self and the Remembering Self

In his book Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman explains the existence of our experiential and remembering selves. Although Kahneman is not thought of as an expert on dementia care, grasping this concept will greatly enhance your success in caring for your loved one or client as they experience dementia. The concept of our experiential and … Read more

pink blossoms | the DAWN Method

Mindfulness and Dementia–Living in the Intuitive World

We need to be careful that we don’t associate the term “dementia” (the condition of progressively losing certain cognitive skills) with the word “demented,” which has come to mean being crazy. When we experience dementia we do not become crazy. We lose some cognitive skills, not all, and the ones we keep are the ones … Read more

An open email to Dr. Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Memorial Prize 2002

Note: Daniel Kahneman, Princeton Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs Emeritus, is an Israeli-American psychologist notable for his work on the psychology of judgment and decision-making, as well as behavioral economics, for which he was awarded the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Dear Dr. Kahneman, Could we talk about the importance of the … Read more