misty forest path carpeted with red leaves | the DAWN Method

Why DAWN Focuses on the Loss of Rational Thought

Dementia came into my life as it does for many of us—when someone we love gets it. For me, it was a neighbor who had Alzheimer’s and was becoming too forgetful to manage entirely on her own. Her children lived elsewhere and would have to move her into a care facility unless they could find … 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