Just what are we talking about here? An introduction.

If you are a caretaker, consider these encouraging things

Wouldn’t it feel good to go for a walk? We’ve assembled some great local parks, perfect for gentle ambling - even in winter! You deserve some fresh air.

On this popular app you can post requests for support - things like meals for the family or just stopping by to visit. This app will send reminders automatically to members of your community so nothing falls through the cracks.

Why is it that beauty can exist alongside deep suffering? How can you show up for people in grief? What have other caregivers found helpful?

Very practical education on safety, eating, memory care, your self care, physical cares, etc. Click here for video series.

Tech for safety, meds, lighting, hearing, communication, reminders, so many new things, more all the time

You can learn more about that by talking with one of our social workers at Beyond Hospice, but here's a short article on the subject.

If you have found your way here through Beyond Hospice, the medical expenses related to the hospice diagnosis - meds, durable medical equipment, hospice staff, etc, are covered. But if your loved one is not on hospice, this may be helpful.

The Home Health Care landscape out these is complex and expensive. One is encouraged to be a wise, informed consumer. Click here for some things we have learned along the way that might inform your search.

There are a lot of levels, options, fee structures, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Here are some resources that might help navigate these choices.

Many caregivers of individuals with memory disorders or dementia report that the main problem is not the illness itself, but the ambiguity and uncertainty it causes.

Finally - a book that explains, so compassionately, that symbiotic relationship between caregiver and person with Alzheimer's. Why do they (still) have the power to poke at all the sore places from childhood? Why do I still argue when I know it's a brain disease? This book is about the complexity of the caregiver, us humans as social beings, why caregiving is so very hard with those we love the most.

So descriptive. So touching. Gavin takes us through the years living with his Mom's disease, from the early months of denial to the dispersing of her ashes. Yes Gavin is a stand-up comic and yes it felt good to laugh, and he sure can tell a good story. But mostly, it felt good to not feel so alone. (You can skip episode 2).

This book has been the go-to handbook for 40 years and it's easy to see why. So very practical. Short, organized what-to-do-when-and-if bits of info just when you need them at your fingertips.

Starring Jessica Lange and Cathy Bates, this movie chronicles the realization, diagnosis, and consequences of memory loss to a famed Broadway actor. We experience it up close, real time, brilliantly performed, with compassion and mercy and love. The diagnosis scene was especially good. Streaming on Prime, Hulu, and Max.

Starring Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Coleman, the acting is spellbinding - or is it the story? The mind, slipping, as seen through the father's eyes, as people, time, and spaces lose their anchor to reality. No wonder critics kept calling it 'haunting'. And yet, I left feeling such compassion, it helped in real life. Streaming on Hulu and Prime.

Some in person, some on line, hosted by the Alzheimer's Association.

So many new gadgets! Click here for a New York Times Wirecutter review of the best out there.

Tissues? Get your tissues.