Untangling Dementia with Difficult People

In this AlzAuthors Live! Virtual Q&A Dementia with Difficult People (November 8, 2022) you'll meet four of our authors who either cared for a parent who had hurt them in the past, or dealt with siblings who made caregiving difficult, or both. A professional mediator is also on hand to offer advice on how to navigate a dementia journey with a difficult person.

Discussion topics:

• Heeding the call to care
• Reckoning with the past
• Setting aside differences
• Problems/issues encountered
• Forgiveness
• Building a support network without family

Our Panelists

Kimberly Best, RN, MA is the author of How to Live Forever, A Guide to Writing the Final Chapter of Your Life Story. She is a speaker and trainer on conflict management, transitions, and difficult decisions, including end of life issues. She is the owner of Best Conflict Solutions, focusing on Conflict Coaching, Civil, Family, Healthcare, and Elder Mediation in Franklin, Tennessee. Read Kim’s AlzAuthors post here.

Malia Kline is the author of Sisterly Shove, a memoir that tells the story of when she and her sister took on their parents’ care despite their personal differences. She is the younger sister in the book. Read Malia’s AlzAuthors post here.

Susan Landeis is a member of the AlzAuthors management team and Board of Directors. She is the author of In Search of Rainbows: a daughter’s story of loss, hope, and redemption where she writes about the gifts she found while caring for her mother with whom she’d had a tumultuous relationship. Read Susan’s AlzAuthors post here.

Barbara Ella Milton, Jr. PhD, LCSW is the author of Heeding the Caregiver Call: The Story of Barbara Ella Milton, Sr. and Alzheimer’s Disease. This tells the tale of her caring for her estranged mother when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease while she herself endured treatment for bladder cancer. Read Barbara’s AlzAuthors post here. (Note: Sadly, Barbara passed away in October 2023.)

Vicki Tapia is a co-founder of AlzAuthors and a member of the management team and Board of Directors. She is the author of Somebody Stole My Iron: A family memoir of dementia, which chronicles her story of caring for both parents with dementia. She and her mother shared a difficult relationship, and Vicki found herself without the assistance of her only brother who chose to deny, rather than participate in, the situation. Read Vicki’s AlzAuthors post here.

About the Podcast

AlzAuthors is the global community of authors writing about Alzheimer’s and dementia from personal experience to light the way for others. Our podcast introduces you to our authors who share their stories and insights to provide knowledge, comfort, and support. Please subscribe so you don’t miss a word. If our authors’ stories move you, please leave a review. And don’t forget to share our podcast with family and friends on their own dementia journeys.

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Ideas and opinions expressed in this podcast belong to the speakers and not AlzAuthors. Always consult your healthcare provider and legal and financial consultants for advice on any of the topics covered here.

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