"They think I'm exaggerating." When everyone says your loved one with dementia seems fine, that's usually the thought doing the hurting. I had it about my own siblings, until I chose a different one.
Many caregivers expect relief when a loved one moves into memory care or a care facility, then feel exhausted after even a good visit. Dr. Natali Edmonds explains the nervous system, grief, and recovery science behind post-placement exhaustion, and what actually helps once you understand what your body has been carrying all along.
Two headlines about Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs and Alzheimer's seem to contradict each other; one says semaglutide may cut risk by up to 70 percent, another says a major trial found no benefit. Dr. Natali explains why both are true, breaking down the difference between prevention and treatment research and what it means for caregivers and their loved ones.
If you've caught yourself thinking "I don't even recognize who I am anymore," you're not broken and you haven't disappeared. Dr. Natali explains the psychology of caregiver "engulfment," what chronic stress does to your brain, and four research-backed ways to start reconnecting with who you were before caregiving.
After 17 years working with dementia caregivers, I keep coming back to the same five truths: the hurt never fully goes away, you can't control what others think, your loved one still feels pain, your self-talk matters, and no one has all the answers. Here's what I wish every caregiver knew.
If your loved one with dementia asks the same question over and over, you are not alone, and they are not doing it on purpose. Dr. Natali Edmonds explains what is happening in the brain, why the feeling outlasts the facts, and five practical ways caregivers can respond with less frustration and more calm.
If your loved one with dementia follows you from room to room and cannot let you out of sight, it is called shadowing. Dr. Natali Edmonds explains the three brain changes driving this exhausting behavior, what actually helps ease it, and why wanting space for yourself does not mean you love them any less.
Before memory loss or confusion, many families notice something else first: financial changes. Missed bills, unusual purchases, falling for scams. Research now shows these can be early warning signs of dementia, appearing years before a diagnosis. Dr. Natali explains why the brain struggles with money first and what you can do about it.
A major research organization published a review in April 2026 saying new Alzheimer's drugs offer trivial benefit. But the scientific debate is more complicated than the headlines suggest. Dr. Natali breaks down what the Cochrane review actually found, why researchers are pushing back, and the three questions to bring to your loved one's neurologist.
If your loved one with dementia gets worse every afternoon or evening, or their sleep has completely flipped, this is not something you are causing. Research published in late 2025 is finally giving us a neurological explanation for sundowning and disrupted sleep in dementia, and what caregivers can do to help.
If you have been sitting on a difficult caregiving decision for weeks, months, or longer and cannot seem to move forward, you are not alone. Dr. Natali identifies the five thought patterns most likely keeping you stuck and what you can actually do to get unstuck.
When family members say your loved one seems fine, it can make dementia caregiving feel even more lonely. Here’s why this happens and what you can do when others don’t believe what you are seeing.
