This January newsletter focuses on dementia care because the number of people affected continues to rise each year, changing more lives than ever before. Research consistently shows that families and care systems are struggling to keep up. As life expectancy increases, more people are living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia- often for many years. And while medical science continues to advance, day-to-day dementia care still depends largely on human beings: caregivers at home, both family members and professionals.
So let’s start with what both research and lived experience consistently show: most people don’t wake up eager to step into a dementia caregiving role. Whether you’re a spouse, a daughter, or a professional caregiver, love is often accompanied by fear- fear of doing it wrong, fear of losing patience, fear of failing the person who depends on you, or simply the realization that this is an incredibly hard role to carry.
And here’s the part we don’t talk about enough: dementia care takes a toll when you’re doing it alone. Over the years, one of the biggest lessons learned in home care- echoed again and again in psychological and caregiving research- is this: good dementia care is never about one person getting it right. It’s about a team learning together.
Dementia is complex. The human brain is complex. Expecting one caregiver to carry that weight alone is unrealistic and, frankly, unfair and unhealthy. Research consistently shows that caregivers who feel supported, educated, and emotionally safe experience less burnout and are able to provide better care over time.
So what does support actually look like in real life? It looks like being able to say, “That didn’t work,” without being blamed. It looks like asking questions without feeling embarrassed. It looks like having someone say, “You didn’t fail- dementia changed.”
In healthy, dementia-focused teams, learning never stops- not because caregivers are incapable, but because dementia itself keeps changing. A calm approach that works today may need to shift tomorrow. A redirection that helped last week may suddenly backfire. That isn’t a failure; it’s the disease doing what it does.
Mistakes will happen. They always do. The difference between a burned-out caregiver and a supported one is not skill- it’s safety. Emotional safety. The kind that allows people to reflect, adjust, and try again without shame. Blame shuts people down. Fear makes people hide their struggles. Silence, over time, leads to burnout.
Support does the opposite. It opens conversations. It builds confidence. It gives caregivers permission to be human while doing incredibly hard work.
Home care makes this even more important. When you step into someone’s home, you are stepping into their life- their routines, their memories, their vulnerabilities. Dementia doesn’t pause just because you’re trying your best. That’s why caregivers need a team behind them, reminding them they’re not alone.
When teams consistently choose support, continuous learning, and compassion- especially when things don’t go well- something powerful happens. Caregivers stay. Families feel relief. And people living with dementia experience more dignity, calm, and safety.
Dementia care was never meant to be carried by one person. It was meant to be shared, learned, and held together.
