The Power of Being Postive

Today’s blog is one of my favorite Pat Snyder videos. Being positive is truly powerful. It doesn't just feel good. It IS good. Research shows being positive makes you not only happier but healthier and more energetic. Since being positive is contagious, so are the people around you--including your loved one.

Being positive is not always easy. As a care partner, you may already feel overwhelmed. And this world is even more overwhelming right now. With each of these negative situations, I've added my own positive response. What is yours?

• A pandemic is changing and limiting our lives. It can be difficult for care partners to get needed help, for singles living alone in isolation, or for out-of-work people trying to exist without a paycheck. My positive: We are a healthy, active retired couple with interests that keep us from being bored--well, most of the time!
• Several of our cities are hurting with protests and their accompanying police actions. I have a grandson in Portland. You may also have loved ones involved in one way or another there or in other cities. My positive: I am so proud of my grandson!
• The media is bombarding us with negative and divisive political ads. I often wonder how much barely skirts the truth, if that. My positive: Although we avoid many ads by taping our shows, I have fun analyzing the ones I have to watch. I look for how they are trying to convince me of their "truth." Yes, that's my psychology background--but it takes me out of the gut reaction they want me to have.
• Weather conditions have been extreme, with earthquakes and hurricanes and the like. For  us in Arizona, it is record-breaking heat with very little of the usual monsoon rains. My positive: I'm so grateful for our well-functioning air conditioning--and for my new three-wheeler that I ride at 5am when it a little cooler.

Focusing on all or any of these issues can cloud the positives. But they are still there. In her video, Pat tells us how to look for the positives in our lives and use them.

Here's Pat's video.

Notice that Pat doesn’t say that staying positive easy or that it comes naturally. It takes commitment and practice. I think it also takes forgiveness, self-forgiveness, that is, because you won’t always succeed. Don’t stay stuck in your failures but look for the lesson: Ask yourself: What can I do to make it easier to be positive next time? And then, move on.

Pat tells you that being positive is a conscious choice and that the present is the only place where you have control. I’ve taught for years that guilt is mainly a futile effort to manage the past and worry is an equally futile effort to manage the future. When you let go of the guilts around what was and the worries of what might be, being positive right now gets a lot easier.

For more information about Lewy body disorders, read our books:
A Caregivers’ Guide to Lewy Body Dementia
Managing Cognitive Issues in Parkinson's and Lewy Body Dementia
Responsive Dementia Care: Fewer Behaviors Fewer Drugs
Lewy Body Dementia: A Manual for Staff

Helen and James Whitworth are not doctors, lawyers or social workers. As informed caregivers, they share the information here for educational purposes only. It should never be used instead of a professional's advice.

Books About LBD Care Partnering

This week’s blog is about the books about LBD care partnering. Pat Snyder offers several in her video. The titles below are links to each of the books she recommends along with a few comments.

Here is Pat's video.

Books that Pat recommended (except for ours):

• Treasures in the Darkness by Pat Snyder. Pat’s story is a must read, especially for those just starting out on their LBD journey.
• Facing LBD Together by the LBDA. This free booklet presents the basics and comes with Medical Alert Wallet Card.
• Dementia Care Partners Workshop by Dr. A good way to learn the basics about dementia care partnering.
• Keeping Love Alive as Memories Fade by Deborah Barr. Practical suggestions for using aspects of your loved one’s past to help them function better in the present.
• The 36-Hour Day by Nancy L Mace and Dr. Peter V Rabins. This is the first book Jim read when he started on this journey over 20 years ago. Of course, it has been updated many times since them.

These are the Christian daily devotional or meditation books recommended by Pat. If you want to find something more specific to your own spiritual beliefs check with your spiritual leader, but as Pat says, don't neglect this part of your journey--a healthy spirit makes the other parts of the journey easier.

• Creating Moment of Joy by Jolene Brackley.
• Grace for the Unexpected Journey by Deborah Barr
• Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.
• Jesus Always by Sarah Young.

Pat also recommends two of our books. Links to these books are as always, at the bottom of this blog entry.

• Managing Cognitive Issues. This book explores the early symptoms and diseases such as Parkinson’s that often progress into LBD and helps you know what to look for and how to deal with it. It also has a huge section on alternative therapies and how to use them.
• Responsive Dementia Care. Pat said this is her favorite of all our books and yes, it is mine too. Dealing with dementia-related behaviors is often the most difficult job for a LBD care partner. Add to this the fact that drugs can often make the situation worse instead of better. This book explains how these dementia changes the brain and offers a variety of methods, both with and without drugs, for dealing with the resulting behaviors.

There are a couple of our books that Pat didn’t mention because she doesn’t have them in her library. (We’ll have to change that!)

• A Caregiver’s Guide to Lewy Body Dementia. Published in late 2010, this was the primary book for LBD caregivers for several years. Even today, with many other books out there, it continues to be a favorite of LBD support group members.
• Lewy Body Dementia, A Manual for Staff. Written for staff, this book includes the same basic information as the Guide does. However, it also includes a condensed version of the behavior management information in our Responsive Dementia Care book. We priced it reasonably so that care partners could give it to their helpers as gifts.

For more recommendations, you can visit LBDA.org and check out their books page.

For more information about Lewy body disorders, read our books:
A Caregiver’s Guide to Lewy Body Dementia.
Managing Cognitive Issues in Parkinson's and Lewy Body Dementia
Responsive Dementia Care: Fewer Behaviors Fewer Drugs
Lewy Body Dementia, A Manual for Staff

Helen and James Whitworth are not doctors, lawyers or social workers. As informed caregivers, they share the information here for educational purposes only. It should never be used instead of a professional's advice.