Dementia Caregiver Support for Christians: Tips for Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregivers to Manage Stress, Prevent Burnout & Handle Difficult Behaviors

What do you do when your loved one with dementia insists, “I’m fine,” while everything in you knows something is deeply wrong? In today’s episode, we walk alongside Jamie, a spouse caregiver facing the painful reality of caring for her husband as he refuses medical help, stops eating, and shows clear signs of cognitive decline. This conversation offers practical tools, biblical clarity, and emotional grounding for Christian caregivers who feel stuck between what they’re seeing and what their loved one refuses to acknowledge. If you’re navigating frontotemporal dementia (FTD), apathy, anosognosia, or the overlap between dementia and depression, this episode will help you find your next faithful step. Episode Overview & Key Insights In this episode, you will learn: Why your loved one may deny anything is wrong (anosognosia) A powerful explanation of why reasoning and convincing create more conflict—and how understanding brain changes can bring clarity and peace. How to make steady decisions even without a firm dementia diagnosis Why a diagnosis may not change what you need to do next—and how to anchor your caregiving in wise stewardship. The hidden connection between dementia and depression How depression can mimic or worsen dementia symptoms, and how caregivers can advocate for treatment even when a loved one refuses office visits. Practical strategies for supporting hydration and eating Gentle, conflict-reducing ways to encourage nourishment when apathy takes over. One simple action step caregivers can take today A clear, realistic step to reduce pressure and bring direction to your next decision. Key Takeaways for Christian Caregivers 1. You are not imagining the decline—your observations matter. You don’t need a confirmed diagnosis before you make wise, protective decisions. 2. Anosognosia is not stubbornness. Your loved one cannot see the decline, which means you must steward the decisions with clarity. 3. Depression may be playing a role. Treatment can sometimes reduce apathy, refusal, and emotional withdrawal. 4. You can advocate without forcing confrontation. Messaging your loved one’s doctor or using telehealth may open doors when in-person visits fail. 5. You do not have to walk this alone. Community and biblical grounding bring order where caregiving feels chaotic. Don’t walk alone. The Christian DigniCare Society (lifetime, under $100) gives you community, coaching, prayer, and practical tools. https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/join 💬 What Do I Say When Dementia Makes Words Hard? Get “What Do I Say? How to Connect with Your Loved One with Dementia” — a free guide for Christian caregivers navigating confusion, repetition, and emotional moments. 📥 Download the guide now: https://www.dementiacaregivingmadeeasy.com/script 🤝 You Don’t Have to Do This Alone Join other Christian caregivers who are walking this road too — and learning how to care with compassion, clarity, and faith. 👥 Join the free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dementiacaregiversupportforchristians 🗣️ Ask Your Question Live — and Be Heard Bring your real-life caregiving questions to Ask the Dementia Coach — our free monthly Q&A session. You’ll get support, clarity, and maybe even be featured on the podcast. 🎤 Register here: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/ask 🎓 Want to Reduce Overwhelm Right Now? Join our free workshop: How to Immediately Reduce Dementia Caregiver Overwhelm and Stress — in 3 Simple Steps 🎟️ Reserve your seat: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/wsl 🧭 Still Feeling Stuck? If you’re wondering what’s underneath your stress, the Caregiver Stress Assessment can help clarify what’s really weighing you down — so you can take your next step with peace. 📊 Take the free assessment: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/dca ❤️ Enjoy This Podcast? Leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify — it helps other Christian caregivers find encouragement and real help. 🎧 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Read the Blog: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/dementia-caregiver-support-when-loved-one-refuses-help/  

Have you ever wondered why the weight of caregiving feels so heavy up close, yet somehow lighter when you finally step back for a moment? A caregiver once stood on a dock beside a massive cruise ship. Up close, the ship towered over everyone. It felt impossible to take in its full size. Later, out in the open ocean, that same ship looked tiny against the endless water. And when it slid through the tight walls of the Panama Canal, the ship suddenly felt fragile again. Three views. One ship. Each one changing how it felt. Caregiving works the same way. The closer you stand to the daily crises, the heavier everything feels. But when you shift your vantage point, even slightly, the load looks different. When Big Problems Sit Too Close Caregivers often press their shoulders against the “side of the ship.” The forms, the appointments, the behaviors, and the decisions sit inches from your face. This closeness creates pressure. It blocks out everything else. Many caregiving websites skip over this reality. They teach tasks. They teach symptoms. Yet they rarely explain why emotional exhaustion builds even when nothing “big” happens. It’s the closeness. The lack of mental space. The missing pause that lets you breathe. A small shift in perspective can relieve more tension than a dozen new checklists. Weathering Storm Seasons Storms expose how human we truly are. They do not expose failure. A crisis in dementia care often makes a caregiver question their strength. You may wonder why God felt far away or why the situation appears to get worse without warning. What most sites don’t discuss is the spiritual confusion storms trigger. Not “Why is this happening?” but “Why is this happening again?” The repeat grief. The repeated fear. The repeated cycle of getting your footing only to lose it once more. Yet no storm signals a loss of support. Fear rises, but limits do not. You are steadied even while shaken. The Pressure of Narrow Places Some stretches of caregiving feel like the Panama Canal. There is no extra margin. No extra money. No extra sleep. No extra help. Decisions feel high-stakes, and the fear of making the wrong move grows stronger. Caregivers often assume these tight spaces demand flawless choices. They don’t. They call for guidance. Not perfection. Many families never hear this truth. They bear the pressure alone, unaware that seeking counsel is part of caregiving wisdom. You were never meant to navigate narrow passages unsupported. Seeing Caregiving Through a Stewardship Lens A faithful caregiving life is not about doing everything. It is about noticing what is actually yours to carry. Some responsibilities belong to you. Some belong to community. Some belong to God. This view shifts the emotional weight. It opens room for calm. It allows you to step back from the “side of the ship” and gain a wider, steadier outlook. You can ask yourself this week: “What changes when I choose to see this season the way God sees it?” Not from fear. Not from fatigue. But from a place of trust and perspective.   Don’t walk alone. The Christian DigniCare Society (lifetime, under $100) gives you community, coaching, prayer, and practical tools.  https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/join   💬 What Do I Say When Dementia Makes Words Hard? Get “What Do I Say? How to Connect with Your Loved One with Dementia” — a free guide for Christian caregivers navigating confusion, repetition, and emotional moments. 📥 Download the guide now: https://www.dementiacaregivingmadeeasy.com/script   🤝 You Don’t Have to Do This Alone Join other Christian caregivers who are walking this road too — and learning how to care with compassion, clarity, and faith. 👥 Join the free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dementiacaregiversupportforchristians   🗣️ Ask Your Question Live — and Be Heard Bring your real-life caregiving questions to Ask the Dementia Coach — our free monthly Q&A session. You’ll get support, clarity, and maybe even be featured on the podcast. 🎤 Register here: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/ask   🎓 Want to Reduce Overwhelm Right Now? Join our free workshop: How to Immediately Reduce Dementia Caregiver Overwhelm and Stress — in 3 Simple Steps 🎟️ Reserve your seat: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/wsl   🧭 Still Feeling Stuck? If you’re wondering what’s underneath your stress, the Caregiver Stress Assessment can help clarify what’s really weighing you down — so you can take your next step with peace. 📊 Take the free assessment: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/dca   ❤️ Enjoy This Podcast? Leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify — it helps other Christian caregivers find encouragement and real help. 🎧 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts   Read the blog: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/christian-caregivers-carry-dementia-burdens-biblical-perspective/    

What do you do when every clarifying question only makes the confusion worse? If you’ve ever watched your loved one insist something happened that never did—and felt the room tighten with every attempt to reason—this episode will give you a calmer, clearer way forward. In today’s conversation, we walk through real caregiving moments with a daughter caring for both her parents. Her dad’s paranoia shows up as missing items, shifting stories, and sudden suspicion. Her instinct—like many Christian caregivers—is to explain, fix, or clarify. But as she discovered, those questions often feel like pressure to a brain already overwhelmed. This episode introduces a simple, repeatable method you can begin using today: Yes → Validate → Redirect. It’s honest. It’s gentle. And it brings peace back into the room without joining an argument you can never win. You’ll hear practical examples, including how to respond when your loved one insists valuable items have disappeared or when old memories resurface as today’s reality. You’ll also learn why this approach works better than over-explaining and how Christian caregivers can apply these tools with patience and biblical clarity. Whether you’re navigating paranoia, confabulation, or those “stink-eye” days when you know something is off, this episode equips you with language that lowers tension instead of escalating it. 🌿 What You’ll Learn • Why reasoning or clarifying questions often intensify paranoia • How to use the Yes, Validate, Redirect method • How to meet emotional needs without lying or using confusing distraction • Why caregiving conversations are part of your spiritual growth • How to guide a moment back to safety when stories become fabricated • What Christian caregivers can do to bring calm into unpredictable interactions • This is practical support grounded in truth, clarity, and real-life caregiving experience—designed to help you respond with confidence the next time hard conversations arise.   Don’t walk alone. The Christian DigniCare Society (lifetime, under $100) gives you community, coaching, prayer, and practical tools.  https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/cds   💬 What Do I Say When Dementia Makes Words Hard? Get “What Do I Say? How to Connect with Your Loved One with Dementia” — a free guide for Christian caregivers navigating confusion, repetition, and emotional moments. 📥 Download the guide now: https://www.dementiacaregivingmadeeasy.com/script   🤝 You Don’t Have to Do This Alone Join other Christian caregivers who are walking this road too — and learning how to care with compassion, clarity, and faith. 👥 Join the free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dementiacaregiversupportforchristians   🗣️ Ask Your Question Live — and Be Heard Bring your real-life caregiving questions to Ask the Dementia Coach — our free monthly Q&A session. You’ll get support, clarity, and maybe even be featured on the podcast. 🎤 Register here: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/ask   🎓 Want to Reduce Overwhelm Right Now? Join our free workshop: How to Immediately Reduce Dementia Caregiver Overwhelm and Stress — in 3 Simple Steps 🎟️ Reserve your seat: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/wsl   🧭 Still Feeling Stuck? If you’re wondering what’s underneath your stress, the Caregiver Stress Assessment can help clarify what’s really weighing you down — so you can take your next step with peace. 📊 Take the free assessment: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/dca   ❤️ Enjoy This Podcast? Leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify — it helps other Christian caregivers find encouragement and real help. 🎧 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts   Read the Blog: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/how-christian-caregivers-respond-to-dementia-accusations/

What if the very thing you never wanted is exactly where God grows you? I share the behind-the-scenes journey of how this podcast became unapologetically Christian—and what God has taught me through two years of walking beside dementia caregivers like you. If you feel like you didn’t sign up for this, you’re not alone. But here's the truth: God doesn’t waste your pain. He’s using even this season to shape you. Here are the three things I’ve learned: 1. God Won’t Stay in the Background. He calls us to be visible with our faith—even in the hard, messy parts of dementia caregiving. You don’t have to do this alone or quietly. 2. Obedience Brings Clarity—But Also Conflict. Spiritual warfare is real. When we step out with biblical clarity, conflict may increase—but so does the peace of knowing you’re walking in truth. 3. God Grows You for a Role You Didn’t Choose. I never wanted to be a pastor’s wife or run a Christian dementia podcast. But looking back, I’m grateful. God has carried me—and He’ll carry you too. You don’t have to pretend this is easy. But you also don’t have to carry it alone.   Don’t walk alone. The Christian DigniCare Society (lifetime, under $100) gives you community, coaching, prayer, and practical tools.  https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/cds   💬 What Do I Say When Dementia Makes Words Hard? Get “What Do I Say? How to Connect with Your Loved One with Dementia” — a free guide for Christian caregivers navigating confusion, repetition, and emotional moments. 📥 Download the guide now: https://www.dementiacaregivingmadeeasy.com/script   🤝 You Don’t Have to Do This Alone Join other Christian caregivers who are walking this road too — and learning how to care with compassion, clarity, and faith. 👥 Join the free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dementiacaregiversupportforchristians   🗣️ Ask Your Question Live — and Be Heard Bring your real-life caregiving questions to Ask the Dementia Coach — our free monthly Q&A session. You’ll get support, clarity, and maybe even be featured on the podcast. 🎤 Register here: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/ask   🎓 Want to Reduce Overwhelm Right Now? Join our free workshop: How to Immediately Reduce Dementia Caregiver Overwhelm and Stress — in 3 Simple Steps 🎟️ Reserve your seat: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/wsl   🧭 Still Feeling Stuck? If you’re wondering what’s underneath your stress, the Caregiver Stress Assessment can help clarify what’s really weighing you down — so you can take your next step with peace. 📊 Take the free assessment: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/dca   ❤️ Enjoy This Podcast? Leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify — it helps other Christian caregivers find encouragement and real help. 🎧 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

Does using your long-term care insurance feel like giving up? If so, you're not alone. In this episode, Anne shares the emotional weight she carries as a wife caring for her husband with Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). Like many Christian caregivers, Anne wrestles with money fears, medical chaos, and legal roadblocks—all while trying to hold her faith steady. She’s approved for long-term care insurance, but a quiet fear holds her back: “What if I run out of money? What if I make the wrong decision?” That’s exactly why we had this conversation. Here are three key takeaways: 1. Use the Policy — It's Provision, Not Waste. Anne had already met the requirements. It was time to start using what she’d paid into. Stewardship doesn’t mean hoarding. It means wisely applying the resources God has provided. 2. Secure Legal Protection Early. Missing paperwork meant Anne had to pursue conservatorship. If you’ve got family “wingnuts” in the wings, you need clarity and a good elder care attorney now—not later. 3. You’re Shepherding a Soul, Not Just Managing Symptoms. Dementia changes the brain, yes—but it doesn’t erase sin. Anne was reminded that her caregiving is a spiritual calling: to keep pointing her husband back to Christ. If you’re drowning in the “what ifs,” this episode will help you come up for air. There is order in this journey—because God is not a God of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33).   Don’t walk alone. The Christian DigniCare Society (lifetime, under $100) gives you community, coaching, prayer, and practical tools.  https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/cds   💬 What Do I Say When Dementia Makes Words Hard? Get “What Do I Say? How to Connect with Your Loved One with Dementia” — a free guide for Christian caregivers navigating confusion, repetition, and emotional moments. 📥 Download the guide now: https://www.dementiacaregivingmadeeasy.com/script   🤝 You Don’t Have to Do This Alone Join other Christian caregivers who are walking this road too — and learning how to care with compassion, clarity, and faith. 👥 Join the free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dementiacaregiversupportforchristians   🗣️ Ask Your Question Live — and Be Heard Bring your real-life caregiving questions to Ask the Dementia Coach — our free monthly Q&A session. You’ll get support, clarity, and maybe even be featured on the podcast. 🎤 Register here: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/ask   🎓 Want to Reduce Overwhelm Right Now? Join our free workshop: How to Immediately Reduce Dementia Caregiver Overwhelm and Stress — in 3 Simple Steps 🎟️ Reserve your seat: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/wsl   🧭 Still Feeling Stuck? If you’re wondering what’s underneath your stress, the Caregiver Stress Assessment can help clarify what’s really weighing you down — so you can take your next step with peace. 📊 Take the free assessment: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/dca   ❤️ Enjoy This Podcast? Leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify — it helps other Christian caregivers find encouragement and real help. 🎧 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

What do you do when caregiving decisions threaten to tear your life in three different directions? In Episode 305, we meet Sonia — a Christian caregiver trying to juggle her father’s increasing dementia care, her sister’s support needs, and her own marriage. If you’ve ever felt like you’re one Uber call or appointment away from collapse, this episode is for you. Sonia’s story is a clear example of what happens when logistics and love collide. She’s exhausted, doing her best, and unsure when (or how) to plan for what’s coming next. Together, we walk through how to make faithful decisions before burnout forces your hand. Here are three powerful takeaways: 1. Clarify Decision-Making Authority. Before you create a plan, make sure you can legally and emotionally carry it out. Who’s actually in charge? 2. Prioritize Long-Term Sustainability. Uber rides help today. But what about next year? Proactive planning—like exploring assisted living—can protect everyone involved. 3. Steward Your Marriage, Too. Caregiving isn’t a solo mission. It’s a season God designed you to walk through with your spouse, not around them. Sonia left our conversation with a plan to research care options — and a renewed sense of peace. You can, too.   Don’t walk alone. The Christian DigniCare Society (lifetime, under $100) gives you community, coaching, prayer, and practical tools.  https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/cds   💬 What Do I Say When Dementia Makes Words Hard? Get “What Do I Say? How to Connect with Your Loved One with Dementia” — a free guide for Christian caregivers navigating confusion, repetition, and emotional moments. 📥 Download the guide now: https://www.dementiacaregivingmadeeasy.com/script   🤝 You Don’t Have to Do This Alone Join other Christian caregivers who are walking this road too — and learning how to care with compassion, clarity, and faith. 👥 Join the free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dementiacaregiversupportforchristians   🗣️ Ask Your Question Live — and Be Heard Bring your real-life caregiving questions to Ask the Dementia Coach — our free monthly Q&A session. You’ll get support, clarity, and maybe even be featured on the podcast. 🎤 Register here: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/ask   🎓 Want to Reduce Overwhelm Right Now? Join our free workshop: How to Immediately Reduce Dementia Caregiver Overwhelm and Stress — in 3 Simple Steps 🎟️ Reserve your seat: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/wsl   🧭 Still Feeling Stuck? If you’re wondering what’s underneath your stress, the Caregiver Stress Assessment can help clarify what’s really weighing you down — so you can take your next step with peace. 📊 Take the free assessment: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/dca   ❤️ Enjoy This Podcast? Leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify — it helps other Christian caregivers find encouragement and real help. 🎧 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

Have you ever wondered what happens when doing what is safe for your parent doesn’t feel secure in your heart? That is exactly the question we are wrestling with today. In this episode, I’m talking with Jodi, a repeat guest who is facing a heartbreaking dilemma. Her mom has lived in New York her whole life and refuses to move to Florida where Jodi and her brother live, even though her safety is at risk. She’s missing medications, she has fallen, and the strain on the sister living nearby is becoming too much. We are stepping right into the hard questions today: Capacity vs. Competency:  Just because your parent hasn’t been declared legally incompetent doesn’t mean they have the capacity to understand the consequences of staying home alone. Are you "letting" them make a decision they no longer understand? The "Safe Discharge" Window:  We discuss the critical opportunity Jodi’s family missed when her mom was in a nursing home—and how you can use a "safe discharge" plan to prevent an unsafe return home. Preempting the Crisis:  Instead of waiting for the next fall or emergency to force a move, we talk about how to have the hard family meeting now. You need to decide: are we going to fight the battle now to ensure safety, or wait for a crisis where we have no choice?. If you are feeling guilty because you are setting boundaries, remember: your God-given roles (like being a wife or mother) must come first. You do not have to figure this out alone. Let’s find a way to honor your parent and keep them safe, without losing your peace.   Don’t walk alone. The Christian DigniCare Society (lifetime, under $100) gives you community, coaching, prayer, and practical tools.  https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/cds   💬 What Do I Say When Dementia Makes Words Hard? Get “What Do I Say? How to Connect with Your Loved One with Dementia” — a free guide for Christian caregivers navigating confusion, repetition, and emotional moments. 📥 Download the guide now: https://www.dementiacaregivingmadeeasy.com/script   🤝 You Don’t Have to Do This Alone Join other Christian caregivers who are walking this road too — and learning how to care with compassion, clarity, and faith. 👥 Join the free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dementiacaregiversupportforchristians   🗣️ Ask Your Question Live — and Be Heard Bring your real-life caregiving questions to Ask the Dementia Coach — our free monthly Q&A session. You’ll get support, clarity, and maybe even be featured on the podcast. 🎤 Register here: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/ask   🎓 Want to Reduce Overwhelm Right Now? Join our free workshop: How to Immediately Reduce Dementia Caregiver Overwhelm and Stress — in 3 Simple Steps 🎟️ Reserve your seat: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/wsl   🧭 Still Feeling Stuck? If you’re wondering what’s underneath your stress, the Caregiver Stress Assessment can help clarify what’s really weighing you down — so you can take your next step with peace. 📊 Take the free assessment: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/dca   ❤️ Enjoy This Podcast? Leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify — it helps other Christian caregivers find encouragement and real help. 🎧 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

“Everything looked right on paper… but it wasn’t the best plan for our family.” If you’ve ever felt that, Episode 303 is your compass. I sit down with Greenville attorney Chase Campbell to unpack Medicaid basics so you can prepare wisely when dementia begins—without fear, and with biblical stewardship. 1) Start sooner than feels necessary. The best time to plan was yesterday; the second best is today. Early action widens options, especially around the five-year look-back (gifts and transfers are reviewed). Longer runway = more flexibility and protection. 2) Lock in essential documents—for them and for you. Durable Power of Attorney, Health Care POA, and a Will (consider trusts where appropriate). Revisit about every three years—people move, die, or become unable to serve. God is not a God of confusion; order brings peace. 3) Don’t mix up Medicaid and Medicare. They’re different programs that sometimes overlap. Apply to the right Medicaid program or you’ll be denied (yes, it happens!). Learn your state’s options, including Community Long-Term Care (CLTC) that can help you keep loved ones at home. 4) Know your planning lane: crisis vs. pre-planning. Crisis = already in/entering care. Pre-planning = earlier, steadier moves (e.g., trusts, transfers). Strategy varies by asset type (home ≠ bank ≠ retirement); think “squeezing a balloon”—push here, it bulges there. Balance matters. 5) Choose the right attorney. Look for fit and clear explanations—the “big-picture” guide who connects legal steps to family dynamics, caregiver health, and practical realities. Ask them to map the whole mosaic, not just one tile. Bottom line: begin, document, distinguish programs, pick your lane, and get a guide. If you want help walking it out, our Christian caregiver community is ready with prayer, practical tools, and real next steps—because stewardship is part of our sanctification.   Don’t walk alone. The Christian DigniCare Society (lifetime, under $100) gives you community, coaching, prayer, and practical tools.  https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/cds   💬 What Do I Say When Dementia Makes Words Hard? Get “What Do I Say? How to Connect with Your Loved One with Dementia” — a free guide for Christian caregivers navigating confusion, repetition, and emotional moments. 📥 Download the guide now: https://www.dementiacaregivingmadeeasy.com/script   🤝 You Don’t Have to Do This Alone Join other Christian caregivers who are walking this road too — and learning how to care with compassion, clarity, and faith. 👥 Join the free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dementiacaregiversupportforchristians   🗣️ Ask Your Question Live — and Be Heard Bring your real-life caregiving questions to Ask the Dementia Coach — our free monthly Q&A session. You’ll get support, clarity, and maybe even be featured on the podcast. 🎤 Register here: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/ask   🎓 Want to Reduce Overwhelm Right Now? Join our free workshop: How to Immediately Reduce Dementia Caregiver Overwhelm and Stress — in 3 Simple Steps 🎟️ Reserve your seat: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/wsl   🧭 Still Feeling Stuck? If you’re wondering what’s underneath your stress, the Caregiver Stress Assessment can help clarify what’s really weighing you down — so you can take your next step with peace. 📊 Take the free assessment: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/dca   ❤️ Enjoy This Podcast? Leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify — it helps other Christian caregivers find encouragement and real help. 🎧 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

Are you lying awake imagining worst-case scenarios?  In Episode 302, I talk with Linda — a Christian caregiver whose mind is constantly racing with all the “what ifs.” Maybe you know that feeling too. What do you do when anticipating the decline steals your peace? This week’s episode tackles that dread head-on. We talk through something called anticipatory grief — the emotional weight caregivers carry before anything “bad” even happens. Linda admitted, “I read too much and now I just expect it to all go badly.” That’s honest. And it’s more common than you think. But God doesn’t call us to carry imaginary futures. He calls us to steward today. Here’s what we cover: The problem with “pre-grieving” — and how it steals your ability to see what’s still good. Why reading every doom-filled article on dementia won’t make you more prepared — just more panicked. A new metaphor: What if caregiving is like learning to fly an airplane? You’ll walk away from this episode with a clearer head and a calmer heart — knowing you’re not failing, you’re just human.   🔗 Don’t walk alone. The Christian DigniCare Society (lifetime, under $100) gives you community, coaching, prayer, and practical tools.  https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/cds   💬 What Do I Say When Dementia Makes Words Hard? Get “What Do I Say? How to Connect with Your Loved One with Dementia” — a free guide for Christian caregivers navigating confusion, repetition, and emotional moments. 📥 Download the guide now: https://www.dementiacaregivingmadeeasy.com/script   🤝 You Don’t Have to Do This Alone Join other Christian caregivers who are walking this road too — and learning how to care with compassion, clarity, and faith. 👥 Join the free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dementiacaregiversupportforchristians   🗣️ Ask Your Question Live — and Be Heard Bring your real-life caregiving questions to Ask the Dementia Coach — our free monthly Q&A session. You’ll get support, clarity, and maybe even be featured on the podcast. 🎤 Register here: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/ask   🎓 Want to Reduce Overwhelm Right Now? Join our free workshop: How to Immediately Reduce Dementia Caregiver Overwhelm and Stress — in 3 Simple Steps 🎟️ Reserve your seat: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/wsl   🧭 Still Feeling Stuck? If you’re wondering what’s underneath your stress, the Caregiver Stress Assessment can help clarify what’s really weighing you down — so you can take your next step with peace. 📊 Take the free assessment: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/dca   ❤️ Enjoy This Podcast? Leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify — it helps other Christian caregivers find encouragement and real help. 🎧 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

“Have you ever walked into an appointment knowing exactly what your loved one needs—then left feeling invisible?” That’s where Mary was when a therapist pushed beyond her husband’s limits and a dentist proposed a plan that ignored his stage of life. As always, I began with my focusing prompt: “Six months from now, what would have to change for caregiving to feel easier—while stewarding your health and relationships?” Mary’s answer? Clarity, and care that actually fits her husband. 1) Speak healthcare—brief, specific, functional. Don’t just give a diagnosis; describe what happens after the provider leaves. Try: “When you used the cane in therapy, he believed he could use it all day. That raised fall risk. Please train strength/balance without introducing a cane; he must remain on the walker.” This protects the other 23 hours. 2) Ask the right therapist, for the right work. PT = strength, balance, gait; OT = safe transfers, environment, task setup; Speech = thinking/communication/swallow. For Mary’s husband: stagger visits (e.g., Tue PT, Fri OT), not back-to-back. You’re allowed to set the rhythm: “No double sessions; schedule Mon/Thu or Tue/Fri.” 3) Request the “why.” If a plan feels wrong, say: “Explain why this is safest for him given dementia.” Make them connect method to your reality (e.g., forward lean during sit-to-stand can be protective; the danger is when he’s upright and leans back). 4) Advocate as a calling. You know your person best. Be the “squeaky wheel” with grace: affirm what helps, name what harms, and ask for a different way. That’s Therapeutic Truth-Telling™—truth + compassion. For steady help, join our Christian DigniCare Society—prayer, coaching, and practical tools so you’re never advocating alone. Early joiners get a short welcome call to start strong.   Don’t walk alone. The Christian DigniCare Society (lifetime, under $100) gives you community, coaching, prayer, and practical tools.  https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/cds   💬 What Do I Say When Dementia Makes Words Hard? Get “What Do I Say? How to Connect with Your Loved One with Dementia” — a free guide for Christian caregivers navigating confusion, repetition, and emotional moments. 📥 Download the guide now: https://www.dementiacaregivingmadeeasy.com/script   🤝 You Don’t Have to Do This Alone Join other Christian caregivers who are walking this road too — and learning how to care with compassion, clarity, and faith. 👥 Join the free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dementiacaregiversupportforchristians   🗣️ Ask Your Question Live — and Be Heard Bring your real-life caregiving questions to Ask the Dementia Coach — our free monthly Q&A session. You’ll get support, clarity, and maybe even be featured on the podcast. 🎤 Register here: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/ask   🎓 Want to Reduce Overwhelm Right Now? Join our free workshop: How to Immediately Reduce Dementia Caregiver Overwhelm and Stress — in 3 Simple Steps 🎟️ Reserve your seat: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/wsl   🧭 Still Feeling Stuck? If you’re wondering what’s underneath your stress, the Caregiver Stress Assessment can help clarify what’s really weighing you down — so you can take your next step with peace. 📊 Take the free assessment: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/dca   ❤️ Enjoy This Podcast? Leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify — it helps other Christian caregivers find encouragement and real help. 🎧 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts