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Writer's pictureBrian Sherwood

What We're Following Today March 23, 2020

Caregiver Of Mother With Dementia Optimistic as Virus Spreads


As the virus continues to spread across our country it’s hard to stay optimistic, but that is just what this caregiver in Iowa is doing. It’s one thing when your loved one is ill, or compromised but still has his/her full mental capacity, but imagine that you have a loved one who struggles to remember “what’ if anything is different from today to tomorrow.

With my own grandmother, the issue of her dementia became ever too clear when she heard the news of her elder brother’s passing. She was heartbroken, and sobbed terribly for a little while. Then apparently, 1/2 hour to 1 hour later later she had forgotten. Telling her again elicited the same reaction. It was then that we all realized that her short term memory was truly compromised, even for life changing events and we knew we had to start arranging for more care services.

So what happens when you have your loved one who simply doesn’t remember that we are dealing with a pandemic situation where we are self distancing, etc.? Karla Hinton, mentioned in the article has to deal with just that which means coming up with ways to convince her mother why going out may not be the best idea at the moment. In the article she explains some of the things she is doing now, and some of these tips may be relevant for others who are caring for a loved one with dementia now. She also talks about what to do with chemicals for cleaning when you need to use them more frequently and ways to occupy the time.

Anyone else have some tips?


Oxford Connecticut Organizing Pan Banging / Bell Ringing in Solidarity in Face of Coronavirus


I just got word from my father in law who lives in an Active Adult community in Oxford, CT that will be organizing events to show community solidarity in response to the Covid-19 virus crisis. Oxford will be doing a bell ringing and pan banging at 8:00 pm each night as a way to show how the community can rally in crisis.


I don’t know where to find out the details of what they are planning and perhaps this is just rumor, but I have seen similar things like this pop up all over the US and in our little community here in Monroe, CT. From universal prayer times to bringing back Christmas lights etc., there are countless acts that are popping up that celebrate our common ground as Americans more than the divisive nature of the political world and media landscape.


Be Alert In Today’s Coronavirus Environment


As with any crisis situation - there are countless efforts to bring people together and there will also be multitudes of instances that we look to take advantage of each other and pray on fear and panic.


Be on the lookout - there will be a new onslaught of scams and other nefarious activities that appear as we try to make our way through the world today. Here’s a report from NBC on some of the scams that are starting to show up on their radar. If it sounds fishy, doubt it, and always feel free to verify something by contacting the company or agency cited at their main contact line(s).



If someone out there just wants to talk, feel free to email me at brian.sherwood@generation-bridge.com. Let me know a little about what you want to talk about and I will follow up, and if it's something that you need specific answers on, we'll try to get you in front of some resources who might be able to help.




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