Sweet Basil Senior Care, LLC

08/21/2026

Serve up a little something for yourself this weekend.

Photo credit: endinmindproject.org

08/20/2026

08/18/2026

A HCD describes your wishes to receive or forego medical care in the event you can’t make or communicate a decision. It also assigns a surrogate to speak on your behalf.

A HCD is not only essential for people living with dementia - every adult should have one completed and filed in their medical record.

07/29/2026

In simple terms, an occupational therapist (OT), looks at how health changes -
like dementia - affect a person’s ability to live their everyday life.

Then we try to answer the question:

How do we help people keep doing the things that matter, as independently and safely as possible.

07/28/2026

Tunnel vision in dementia is usually unrelated to vision. It's more related to attention, a foundational component of cognition.

If it seems like your person is missing things "right in front of them" or tuning you out, they may be experiencing tunnel vision.

The brain no longer has the capacity to multitask or focus on more than one thing at a time.

06/13/2026

Taking a moment to stabilize yourself before you engage may be the best advice I can give. Not only does it help with care, but it helps us feel better too.

And if you can’t quite get to “stable,” it’s ok to fake it till you make it.

06/08/2026

Thank you University of Minnesota for an amazing conference filled with advice and support for dementia care partners. Link to full post in comments.

05/31/2026

Instead of lying, I like to reframe it.

If they have forgotten that their spouse has died, they have a terminal diagnosis, or they no longer work at a job they loved, reminding them may unneccessarily create shock, grief and distress.

As long as we are trying to reduce distress or preserve dignity, being creative with the truth is all part of meeting them where they are.

05/08/2026

This tip applies to care partners too!