Online Resources

There is a plethora of online resources for dementia

care partners on both sides of the disease.

These are the ones I utilize most frequently

one go to for access to the online dementia

community. They have an active and supportive

Caregiver Forum, as well as Spouse or

Partner Caregiver Forum, Alzheimer - Dementia

Persons Forum, LGBT, just about every category

you can think of! A great place to ask questions, and supply answers in turn.

Talking Point Forum (UK) - The UK equivalent of the Alzconnected Forum for our former countrymen.

AgingCare Caregiver Forum - Another great forum that is set up as a question/answer service; you ask the questions, other caregivers respond.

Reddit/Dementia & Reddit/Alzheimers Forums - I'll hit both of these forums for information and a lot of off-the-wall caregiver chat!

Dementia Through Daughters Eyes FB Page - This a wonderfully supported FB group whether your in the mood to vent, share a funny moment, or need an online shoulder to cry on. Molly's Movement is another great FB site to get your online caregiver community fix. Both are closed groups, so request to join to benefit from the comfort and encouragement they provide.

Ro and Steve Blog - Lovely, deeply personal stories that I really connect to, from a couple helping their parents through Alzheimer's and Lewy Body dementia. The site is also a great resource for memory care facility reviews.

Travels with Tio - In 2013 Tio lost his sight and his wife developed dementia. Tio responded by becoming a caregiver, published author, poet, and blogger. (Hmph! Over achiever.) His sense of humor about their journey lifts my spirits. His poetry alternately soothes my soul and breaks my heart.

Podcasts - The When They Forget podcasters are two sisters caring for their mom too. And they are from our neck of the woods. It's damn near a mirror image of our dementia journey. The other super cool thing about them is that their listeners share their caregiver stories too. Another awesome podcaster, who has also become an online friend in dementia to me, is Rosanne Corcoran of Daughterhood, the Podcast - and not just because I've been on it! Past guests include Teepa Snow, Anne Tumlinson, and Carol Bradley Bursack to name a few dementia superstars who are working to improve life for dementia people and their care partners. This Dementia Life is a new favorite for me, produced and hosted by Chuck McClatchey and Mike Belleville, both of them living with dementia. Every episode I've listened to inspires and educates me, as well as giving me some good belly laughs.

YouTube This Life with Jan & Twitter @thislifewithjan - A millennial couple who were thrown into the dementia world when her mother was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. Her grandmother was Jan's primary care partner until a diagnosis of cancer put the couple in the line of fire for taking over. They are telling their story through video episodes that are fascinating, and beautiful to watch. (Nice production values, guys!). Their experience echoes ours so closely (Dad dying of pancreatic cancer was the impetus for The Other Girl and I becoming primary care partners to Mom), and Jan is such a mirror image of Mom, that I'm mesmerized, gazing through a looking-glass at our lives through their lens (except our mom eats!).

Twitter - My favorite folks that I follow on Twitter are proactive dementia people, tweeting their thoughts about their diagnosis, and the amazing advocacy work they are involved in. It's a boost to me to hear how the other side of the care partner relationship is living - sometimes thriving, sometimes surviving - with dementia. I recommend Janice Swink @JaniceSwink, Wendy Mitchell @WendyPMitchell, Tommy Dunne BEM @TommyTommytee18.

There's a bunch of states offering great support to family caregivers, such as Oregon who funds free online and in-person caregiver training at Oregon Care Partners, and Wisconsin Family Caregiver Support Program that provides respite/household services, caregiving counseling, and a host of additional caregiver help. Check out 2018's 10 Best States for Family Caregivers from Caring.com to see if there are support programs in your state you may be missing out on. And if your state didn't make the cut in the article call your state's agency on aging to find out what type of caregiver assistance/education may be available.