Thank you for a very helpful post. AD and Dementia are both conditions we are seeing more of, due to our abiilty to live much longer than our ancestors, and our generations now living are learning to navigate how we are with and how we care for, our relatives. A shamanic practitioners we also have the privilege of being able to journey to the souls of our family members who cannot take decisions for themselves due to confusion, so that we can be ethically and lovingly present to them. Strength and joy to you!
Thank you so much Caitlin! Longevity definitely has a shadow, just like all things on our beautiful earth. And thank you for the reminder about consulting the soul, rather than the waking or everyday mind. It is something I teach all my students, but I will add it as a PS to the blog, for those unfamiliar with the concept. Much love and joy back to you today!
As Pluto moves into Aquarius, your post is very timely - for these are deep transformations indeed, and we can still bring so much more for the good of all.
In my experience more women than men experience dementia. I do wonder if women too often ‘go along to get along’ and hide their deeper feelings even eventually to themselves. Do women experiencing loss of cognitive function begin years earlier being dishonest with themselves and others to prevent disagreements or condemnation?
Do they put up with extraordinary infringement on their freedom without ability to express their needs? Are such women in misalignment with what they say and their silent inner worlds which over time shrink to near non existence? These are things I have wondered from witnessing my mother’s generation as well as looking deeply into my own life experience.
This an excellent line of enquiry, one I could imagine delving into in a follow-up blog. Statistically speaking men die younger. There are far more widows than widowers. But women are trained in People-pleasing, as you say. This is worth looking into...
Thank you for having the courage to share such private and deeply moving experiences - it helps all of us. I have dealt with several elderly relatives with different types and stages of dementia, and it's always surreal. You have to meet them where they are, at the edge of their worldview, instead of trying to force them back into the "correct" one. And it is definitely exhausting, in ways that people who haven't done it don't understand. One bit of spiritual understanding that I happened upon while caring for one particular relative came from a friend who simply said this: "It's OK if she doesn't remember who you are, because you still remember who she is."
Similar but different - here we're "dancing with Parkinson's". Epidemiologically, PD is second to AD, but also too common. I've become the 24/7 caregiver for Anne - who just this last week had another fall and broke a small bone in her knee (she'd already broken both hips and had lots of surgery). So back to the wheelchairs and transfers.
(Interestingly, my ex now has AD, and is fairly advanced. Sigh. Her boyfriend has been a real hero there...)
I'm deeply involved in the local caregiving community - some of the stories are - well - awful. The support groups have been lifesavers.
Is there anything shamanic that can help either AD - or PD? We've had temporary improvement with some ceremonies, but nothing that lasts. So far.
Thank you for a very helpful post. AD and Dementia are both conditions we are seeing more of, due to our abiilty to live much longer than our ancestors, and our generations now living are learning to navigate how we are with and how we care for, our relatives. A shamanic practitioners we also have the privilege of being able to journey to the souls of our family members who cannot take decisions for themselves due to confusion, so that we can be ethically and lovingly present to them. Strength and joy to you!
Thank you so much Caitlin! Longevity definitely has a shadow, just like all things on our beautiful earth. And thank you for the reminder about consulting the soul, rather than the waking or everyday mind. It is something I teach all my students, but I will add it as a PS to the blog, for those unfamiliar with the concept. Much love and joy back to you today!
As Pluto moves into Aquarius, your post is very timely - for these are deep transformations indeed, and we can still bring so much more for the good of all.
Thank you for that reminder too! Astrological paradigm shift...
In my experience more women than men experience dementia. I do wonder if women too often ‘go along to get along’ and hide their deeper feelings even eventually to themselves. Do women experiencing loss of cognitive function begin years earlier being dishonest with themselves and others to prevent disagreements or condemnation?
Do they put up with extraordinary infringement on their freedom without ability to express their needs? Are such women in misalignment with what they say and their silent inner worlds which over time shrink to near non existence? These are things I have wondered from witnessing my mother’s generation as well as looking deeply into my own life experience.
This an excellent line of enquiry, one I could imagine delving into in a follow-up blog. Statistically speaking men die younger. There are far more widows than widowers. But women are trained in People-pleasing, as you say. This is worth looking into...
We loose memory when we lie, not able to keep facts straight.
Thank you for having the courage to share such private and deeply moving experiences - it helps all of us. I have dealt with several elderly relatives with different types and stages of dementia, and it's always surreal. You have to meet them where they are, at the edge of their worldview, instead of trying to force them back into the "correct" one. And it is definitely exhausting, in ways that people who haven't done it don't understand. One bit of spiritual understanding that I happened upon while caring for one particular relative came from a friend who simply said this: "It's OK if she doesn't remember who you are, because you still remember who she is."
Aw, that is SO tender and beautiful! Sigh!
Similar but different - here we're "dancing with Parkinson's". Epidemiologically, PD is second to AD, but also too common. I've become the 24/7 caregiver for Anne - who just this last week had another fall and broke a small bone in her knee (she'd already broken both hips and had lots of surgery). So back to the wheelchairs and transfers.
(Interestingly, my ex now has AD, and is fairly advanced. Sigh. Her boyfriend has been a real hero there...)
I'm deeply involved in the local caregiving community - some of the stories are - well - awful. The support groups have been lifesavers.
Is there anything shamanic that can help either AD - or PD? We've had temporary improvement with some ceremonies, but nothing that lasts. So far.