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

✈️ Walking to Sweden without a map? That’s what many of us do in dementia care. We start out with love and conviction—but no plan. Episode 261 changes that. Lizette Cloete introduces the DigniCare Lens: one life-shaping question that forces you to think beyond today’s appointments and outbursts. “Three years from now, when caregiving is over, what must be true for you to say by God’s grace you walked it well— and still have life to serve Him next?” Why It Matters 🩺 30 % of caregivers die before the person they serve. 💔 Burnout now simply shifts the burden to someone else later. ✝️ Stewardship means planning for their eternity—and your future. Key Takeaways Begin with the end in mind (Psalm 90:12). Steward two lives —yours and theirs. Ask the DigniCare Lens question today, not after you crash. Pam, a former client, says this single question changed her entire journey: “It gave me a way to know I wouldn’t regret the road when Mom was gone.”   💬 Struggling to talk with a loved one who has dementia? ✝️ Speak calm, not just words. Get “What Do I Say?”—a free Christian guide with: ✅ 10 calming scripts ✅ Scripture-based truth ✅ Therapeutic Truth-Telling™ 📥 Download 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. 🗓️ Brought to you every month! 🎤 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 ✅ Practical tools ✅ Faith-informed strategies ✅ Same-day results 🎟️ 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

“I love my mom… but I miss my marriage.” If you've ever whispered this in the quiet, exhausted corners of your day, this blog is for you. In Episode 260, Lizette walks alongside Paulette, a Christian woman navigating the daily strain of caregiving for her mother while trying to preserve a two-year-old marriage. Paulette lives apart from her husband so she can care full-time for her mom—and the emotional, spiritual, and logistical costs are piling up. 💔 When Chaos Becomes the New Normal For Paulette, chaos isn’t just a feeling—it’s a fact: Her daughter and grandkids lived with her. Her brother just had a stroke. Her job was lost. Her husband is waiting for weekend visits that rarely happen. Can you relate? As the caregiver, scheduler, nurse, and mediator, Paulette’s roles are swallowing her identity as a wife. And as Lizette lovingly points out, that’s not just overwhelming—it’s spiritually misaligned. 🛡️ Don’t Wait for the Breakdown Too many caregivers wait until their marriage cracks, their health collapses, or a crisis forces action. Paulette’s story is a gentle, grace-filled call to plan now—not later. Let’s remember: 🕊️ God is not a God of confusion, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). 👣 Begin with the end in mind. 💬 Therapeutic Truth-Telling™ sets the stage for real healing.   🗣️ 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. 🗓️ Brought to you every month! 🎤 Register here: https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/ask   💬 Struggling to talk with a loved one who has dementia? ✝️ Speak calm, not just words. Get “What Do I Say?”—a free Christian guide with: ✅ 10 calming scripts ✅ Scripture-based truth ✅ Therapeutic Truth-Telling™ 📥 Download 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   🎓 Want to Reduce Overwhelm Right Now? Join our free workshop: How to Immediately Reduce Dementia Caregiver Overwhelm and Stress — in 3 Simple Steps ✅ Practical tools ✅ Faith-informed strategies ✅ Same-day results 🎟️ 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

Ever feel like you’re rowing the dementia care boat alone while everyone else shouts directions—or just enjoys the ride? In Episode 259, Lizette introduces the Anchor Care Matrix™—a powerful framework to reduce family conflict by defining roles based on two questions: How involved are you in daily care? How much authority do you actually have? Once you answer these, you’ll see the four types of caregiving roles emerge: 🛑 Care Observer – Low authority, low involvement. Lots of opinions, little action. 📜 Care Steward – High authority, low involvement. Think distant decision-makers. 💪 Care Advocate – Low authority, high involvement. The ones doing the work but not making the calls. ⚓ Care Anchor – High authority, high involvement. Carrying the weight of care and decisions. 🎯 Misalignment—when involvement and authority don’t match—is the root of most caregiving conflict. Biblical stories like Ruth (advocate) and the Good Samaritan (anchor) remind us: caregiving is a sanctifying stewardship journey. Clarity in roles = peace in the process. Want to shift from frustration to alignment? Listen now and redefine your family’s path forward.   💬 What Do I Say When Dementia Makes Words Hard? ✝️ Speak Calm, Not Just Words 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. ✅ 10 ready-to-use scripts ✅ Rooted in Scripture ✅ Built on the Therapeutic Truth-Telling™ model 📥 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. 🗓️ Brought to you every month! 🎤 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 ✅ Practical tools ✅ Faith-informed strategies ✅ Same-day results 🎟️ 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

“I still visit. I still pray. But am I even a caregiver anymore?” Larry’s question cuts to the heart of so many Christian caregivers walking the final stretch of dementia. In Episode 258 of Dementia Caregiver Support for Christians, we walk with Larry, a husband navigating what many call “ambiguous grief”—grieving a spouse who is still alive, yet slowly disappearing. It’s the emotional tension of being present, yet invisible. Devoted, yet forgotten. Still loving, but unsure what that love should look like now. Whether your loved one recognizes you or not… your love is not in vain. God sees. God sanctifies. God strengthens. This season of caregiving- though quieter, lonelier and slower- is still a part of God's design for your life.. As Lizette reminds us, your care is part of your sanctification journey, and yes, even now, it still brings glory to God.   💬 What Do I Say When Dementia Makes Words Hard? ✝️ Speak Calm, Not Just Words 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. ✅ 10 ready-to-use scripts ✅ Rooted in Scripture ✅ Built on the Therapeutic Truth-Telling™ model 📥 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. 🗓️ Brought to you every month! 🎤 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 ✅ Practical tools ✅ Faith-informed strategies ✅ Same-day results 🎟️ 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

“Am I still doing this out of love… or just because I’m afraid to stop?” If that question has crossed your mind in the quiet moments—between pill reminders, another load of laundry, or the third night in a row of disrupted sleep—you’re not alone. In Episode 257 of Dementia Caregiver Support for Christians, Lizette dives into three hidden motivations that often lead to caregiver burnout. This isn’t about how much you’re doing—it’s about why you’re doing it. And the answer could change everything.   You’re not stuck. You don’t need to scrap everything or run away. You just need to identify your motive, bring it before the Lord, and shift into a place of intentional, Christ-centered caregiving. That’s the journey Lizette walked—and the one she now guides others through. Join our monthly free workshop! ‘How To Immediately Reduce Dementia Caregiver Overwhelm and Stress In 3 Easy Steps’ 👉 https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/wsl  

If you've ever felt like the sole interpreter of your loved one’s life—translating their stories, guarding their dignity, and trying to explain behaviors that confuse others—you’re not alone.  In Episode 256, we meet Marty, a Filipina caregiver caring for her British husband in the Philippines. Her story is rich with love... and layered with cultural complexity. Marty isn’t just a wife. She’s become the memory keeper, the translator, the full-time caregiver, and the only person who understands where her husband’s mind wanders when dementia takes hold.   You may feel like the only one who understands. But you don’t have to walk this journey alone. There is help. There is wisdom. And there is grace for every misunderstanding. Let God use your love—and your story—as a bridge. Because He sees. He knows. And He’s with you both.   💬 What Do I Say When Dementia Makes Words Hard? Get the “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. ✅ 10 ready-to-use scripts ✅ Rooted in Scripture ✅ Built on the Therapeutic Truth-Telling™ model 📥 Download it here: https://www.dementiacaregivingmadeeasy.com/script   🤝 You Don’t Have to Do This Alone Join other Christian caregivers who are walking this road too — and learn 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.  🗓️ Brought to you every month! 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 ✅ Practical tools ✅ Faith-informed strategies ✅ Same-day results https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/wsl   ❤️ Enjoy This Podcast? Leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify — it helps other Christian caregivers find encouragement and real help.

“I didn’t choose this—but I keep showing up. What now?” If you've ever felt like the reluctant caregiver—the one who didn’t raise their hand but just… showed up—today's episode of Dementia Caregiver Support for Christians is your invitation to stop surviving and start stewarding. Lizette shares why so many overwhelmed spouses, adult children, and even grandkids stay emotionally stuck: not because they aren’t doing the work, but because they haven’t made the spiritual shift to owning the role God has already assigned. You may not feel equipped. But that doesn’t disqualify you. God equips those He calls—often in the walking, not just the waiting. Caregiving doesn’t have to mean confusion. When you anchor your role in biblical truth, you stop reacting and start leading. That’s what the Think Different Dementia Method™ is all about.   What Do I Say When Dementia Makes Words Hard? ✝️ Speak Calm, Not Just Words 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. ✅ 10 ready-to-use scripts ✅ Rooted in Scripture ✅ Built on the Therapeutic Truth-Telling™ model 📥 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. 🗓️ Brought to you every month! 🎤 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 ✅ Practical tools ✅ Faith-informed strategies ✅ Same-day results 🎟️ 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  

What happens when your medical knowledge says one thing… but your heart, your husband, and your faith point in a different direction? In this episode, Lizette sits down with Anne, a physical therapist, wife, and Christian caregiver. Anne is navigating the heartbreaking changes in her husband Joel, who has a shunt, possible dementia, and a growing resistance to further medical testing. Anne knows what tests might give more clarity. But Joel says he’s done. She wants answers. But she also wants to respect his wishes. And somewhere in the middle, guilt keeps whispering: “Are you doing enough?” This honest episode is for every Christian spouse caught between advocacy and submission, action and acceptance, love and guilt.   Guilt thrives in uncertainty. But clarity creates peace. When you ask the hard questions early… When you honor the answers… When you trust God with what you can’t fix… You release the weight that was never yours to carry. 🎧 Tune in to Episode 254 and hear Anne’s powerful story of love, faith, and letting go of guilt—while still being the caregiver her husband needs most.   Ever Wonder How To Know What Is Causing Your Caregiver Stress? Take Our FREE Caregiver Stress Assessment Today! https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/dca   Join our monthly free workshop "How To Immediately Reduce Dementia Caregiver Overwhelm and Stress In 3 Easy Steps" https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/wsl   Join the FREE Dementia Caregiver Support Facebook Group today for more support:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/dementiacaregiversupportforchristians   Are You A Christian Dementia Caregiver Struggling To Cope With Caregiving? Join the FREE "Ask the Dementia Coach" Monthly Meet Up! And be on the podcast, get support and your questions answered.  https://dementiacaregivingmadeeasy.com/ask   Enjoy our podcast? Please take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify —it really supports our show! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dementia-caregiver-support-for-christians-conversations/id1716187550  

Explore the stigma and shame that often silence discussions around dementia diagnoses. Learn how breaking this silence can foster community support and connection. Discover the 4D method for managing caregiver tasks effectively while encouraging personal growth. This is a journey of honoring loved ones while also empowering caregivers to find strength and solace in sharing their experiences.

Dementia doesn’t just steal memory—it can distort perception. Paulette’s mom forgets short-term details, grows paranoid, and even plans to have neighbors take her to the bank to “check” if she’s being stolen from—all while Paulette is the one managing her finances, her care, and her household. The hardest part? She’s doing everything out of love… and still being doubted. But this episode reminds us: not every moment is about dementia behavior. There’s always something deeper going on—and that’s why we need a biblical lens to see it clearly. When accusations arise and trust breaks down, it’s easy to feel like you’ve failed. But caregiving with dementia isn’t just practical—it’s spiritual. You’re navigating heartbreak, identity loss, and deep relational wounds all at once. 🎧 Tune in to Episode 252 to hear Paulette’s story and discover the tools, grace, and truth that will carry you through the hardest parts of dementia caregiving—with God’s help.   Ever Wonder How To Know What Is Causing Your Caregiver Stress? Take Our FREE Caregiver Stress Assessment Today! https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/dca   Join our monthly free workshop "How To Immediately Reduce Dementia Caregiver Overwhelm and Stress In 3 Easy Steps" https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/wsl   Join the FREE Dementia Caregiver Support Facebook Group today for more support:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/dementiacaregiversupportforchristians   Are You A Christian Dementia Caregiver Struggling To Cope With Caregiving? Join the FREE "Ask the Dementia Coach" Monthly Meet Up! And be on the podcast, get support and your questions answered.  https://dementiacaregivingmadeeasy.com/ask   Enjoy our podcast? Please take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify —it really supports our show! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dementia-caregiver-support-for-christians-conversations/id1716187550