Essential Dementia Caregiver Resources: Essential Support for Your Caregiving Journey
Have you ever told your loved one they have dementia, only to be met with anger or disbelief?
It’s one of the most challenging situations caregivers face—trying to explain something their loved one simply can’t understand.
In this episode, we uncover the concept of anosognosia—a condition where the brain doesn’t recognize the reality of cognitive decline—and share ways to approach this struggle with patience, love, and faith.
Anosognosia: What It Is and Why It Matters
For many caregivers, it feels like denial when a loved one refuses to accept their dementia diagnosis. But what’s really happening is something far more complex.
Anosognosia—literally meaning “no awareness”—is a condition caused by physical brain changes. Unlike denial, where a person avoids facing the truth, someone with anosognosia truly cannot see that anything is wrong.
Key Point: About 80% of individuals with dementia experience anosognosia at some point, which means reasoning, explaining, or arguing with them won’t help. As caregivers, understanding this can relieve some of the frustration.
You Can’t See a Broken Brain
A powerful analogy shared in the episode explains why this can be so difficult for caregivers:
If someone loses a leg, you can see the loss. It’s visible.
But when someone’s brain begins to “break,” those changes are invisible.
This creates an expectation gap. You might expect your loved one to communicate, behave, or think the way they always have, but their brain no longer functions that way. Acknowledging this reality is the first step toward responding with patience and compassion.
Practical Strategies to Cope with Anosognosia
Stop Trying to Convince Them
Telling them repeatedly that they have dementia won’t work. Their brain cannot process it. Instead, focus on gently guiding them through tasks and challenges.
Adjust Your Expectations
Meet them where they are. Recognize their limitations and adapt your communication accordingly.
Use Redirection
When they resist or argue, redirect their attention to something positive or neutral. Avoid confrontations that will only increase frustration for both of you.
Practice Patience and Prayer
Lean into your faith for strength. Pray for the patience to handle these tough conversations with love, even when they feel impossible.
Don’t Struggle Alone: Find Support
The episode emphasizes the importance of community support.
Caregivers who seek guidance early are better equipped to navigate challenges like anosognosia with confidence and peace. Whether it’s through coaching, online communities, or caregiver groups, having a support system lightens the burden.
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Transcript
Introduction to Caregiving Challenges
[0:00] Caregiving for a loved one with dementia is a journey of invisible challenges, but also profound love. But how do you navigate these uncharted waters when the person that you’re caring for doesn’t even realize that there is a problem? In today’s episode, we dive into the realities of caregiving. [0:22] All the way from accessing respite care services to understanding the unseen physical changes in the brain all through the lens of a faith-based background as well as support. I want you to get ready to listen to some practical advice and powerful insights that’ll help you thrive as a caregiver. Hey, Christian caregiver, welcome back to Dementia Caregiver Support for Christians, the podcast where I teach Bible-believing Christians how to make their dementia caregiving journey easier today, while also helping you focus on tomorrow. If you are a Christian spouse, an adult child of a family member who is living with dementia, this podcast is for you. Here, we focus on kingdom-focused caregiving, as well as honoring the Lord Jesus Christ through our caregiving journey. Listen to today’s wonderful episode, which is a snippet of the Ask the Dementia Coach monthly meetup that is my gift to you as the audience in the ability to have a conversation with me and ask your own specific caregiving struggles and journey so that we can lighten the load for you as you navigate this journey with me. Our next opportunity for you to sign up for the Ask the Dementia Coach is this coming Thursday, December the 19th at 6 p.m.
Respite Care Solutions
[2:04] Eastern Time. So if you haven’t availed yourself of this opportunity to come into a Zoom room with me and ask your specific questions, I invite you to go to the link in the show notes and sign up for this Thursday’s episode. It’s my gift to you. Do not struggle alone. Come get some Christian caregiving support and hang out with me in our monthly meetup this Thursday. Now, without further ado, here is our next episode. I don’t think this is the right episode. It’s close to Tampa. I’m close to Tampa. Okay, so you’re close to Tampa. So I would start with the Area Agency on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association in Florida. There is usually some respite money available, but you typically have to go through the Area Agency on Aging to access that. And essential dementia caregiver resources can help you through this journey.
[3:02] Depending on when your temple is closing, the sooner you can try to get some of that taken care of, then the sooner you can get some respite care set up so that you could maybe go before it closes. And time it when your son is off, and so then he can supplement some as well. The other thing, Maureen, is you may want to, since it sounds like your sister is based on what you are, she’s an Apollo Beach, Linda. Depending on you know how much assistance she needs you could perhaps ask the church if if you cannot get the respite money because it’s a process right cannot get that fast enough have the church help you with that with getting a couple of people to stay with her so that you can just go get this burdensome task off of you so that you can focus then on the next stuff. Essential dementia caregiver resources include support systems like faith-based communities and local organizations. Yes.
Understanding Anosognosia
[4:18] And, you know, good thing is we are building a temple within 15 minutes of where I live, but it may take a year or two for completion. So it’s a short-term problem. It’s a short-term problem, but the immediate problem is go to the Area Agency on Aging in Florida. If you cannot get that set up in a timely manner before you have to go before the temple closes, line up a couple of people from the Church of Latter-day Saints to come help you for a couple of days. Time it with your son being off and you go because that’ll be the easiest way for you to burn out is not to take care of these needs. Essential dementia caregiver resources ensure that caregivers find respite and support systems to help maintain balance and well-being.
[5:51] You just couldn’t get your microphone off, and so I just moved on to Maureen so that I wouldn’t use up everybody’s time. I’m sorry. I got disconnected too. But anyway, the biggest struggle I have right now is just getting my husband to, you know, to accept that he’s got a problem because he’s really on a big denial thing. And every time I tell him he’s got a problem, he really gets mad and won’t listen to me. Okay. So can I ask you a question? And you do not have to answer it if you do not want to. Where are you from? Oh, Las Vegas. No. Oh, the country? Oh, Philippines. I’m originally from Philippines. Okay, thank you, because you have a little accent, and I love your accent. So since I cannot see your face, I can pick up on your accent. So let us talk about that first. Let us talk about, is your husband Filipino too? Yes. Okay. And how long have you guys been in the United States?
Coping with Denial in Caregiving
[6:48] 50 years. 50 years. Okay, well, you beat me. I’ve been in the United States for 31. Oh, yeah, we’ve been married for 40 years. I’m not from the Philippines, but I’m from South Africa original. All right. Yes. And I have a lot of Filipina friends. I love them dearly. They are some of the best people in the world. Oh, thank you. My ever-to-be-humble opinion. All right. So let us talk about what you’re describing here about your husband not accepting or not realizing that he has dementia. And so this is going to be a little bit of the educational side that I bring to these conversations. There is a big, fat, fancy word called anisognosia, which literally means no awareness. Okay. About 80% of people who have dementia have no awareness that they have dementia.
[9:51] Essential dementia caregiver resources provide education on conditions like anosognosia. Understanding that denial is not intentional can help caregivers approach their loved ones with more compassion and patience. These tools equip caregivers with practical coping mechanisms and support systems.
Community Support and Resources
[10:37] People who are really benefiting from the community are the people who joined earlier on, before they need it, and that have been active and are participating in the community because then they already know what questions to ask and they have a place to come and they’re not constantly wondering, what do I need to do? How do I need to do it? So people listening are interested in tapping into or learning about the community. I’d invite you to just go to the website, thinkdifferentdementia.com. There’s a link for you to schedule a 20-minute call. There’s no pressure. I’ll serve you regardless of whether you join the community or not. But it is a way for you to take this relationship a little deeper, a little bit more hands-on support because really the research also shows its longitudinal support over time. Essential dementia caregiver resources like community platforms help caregivers build connections and find practical advice.
Absolutely. Yeah, for sure. I would highly recommend Lizette. She’s awesome. I appreciate that endorsement. You are well. Thank you, everybody, for listening today. And as I try to remember, I try to remember, I don’t always remember. May the Lord bless you and keep you. And come back and listen some more. I’m hoping to do more of these coaching-style episodes. So come back and check us out. And thank you for being here today.
