Senior Living Advisors of Austin

06/02/2026

I’ve spent the last two decades educating professionals, supporting families, and walking alongside people living with dementia across senior living communities, hospitals, home care, hospice, and beyond.

What I’ve noticed is this:

Churches are deeply impacted by dementia… but many Senior Care Ministries still feel under-equipped to respond to it.

Not because they don’t care. Because dementia changes the way people experience conversation, worship, routine, connection, sound, crowds, memory, and even their sense of belonging. And most faith communities were never taught how to recognize those changes compassionately or practically.

Yet the opportunity in front of the church is extraordinary.

The church can become one of the last places where a person living with dementia still feels seen, still feels safe, still feels spiritually connected, still feels like they belong.

At Dementia SKILLS 2026, we are inviting Senior Care Ministers, faith leaders, visitation teams, and church volunteers into a different kind of dementia education experience.

Not just awareness, not just information, but hands-on understanding.

Together, we explore:
• how dementia changes the brain and nervous system
• how communication shifts as the disease progresses
• how environments and approach impact distress or calm
• how to create moments of dignity, connection, and spiritual inclusion
• how churches can support not only the person living with dementia, but the exhausted family walking beside them

Because ministry does not stop at diagnosis.

In many ways, this is where ministry becomes even more important.

Dementia SKILLS 2026 will be held in:

📍 Salt Lake City — September 8–11, 2026
📍 Austin — October 13–16, 2026

If your church desires to better support aging adults, care partners, and those living with dementia in your congregation and community, we would love to have you in the room.

Because understanding changes everything. And sometimes the greatest ministry is helping someone continue to belong.

06/01/2026

This past weekend, nearly 50 individuals gathered to watch “Facing the Wind” and participate in a heartfelt conversation about Lewy Body Dementia.

Before anything else, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the organizations and individuals whose time, talent, resources, and commitment made this event possible.

Thank you to AGE of Central Texas, the Central Texas Lewy Body Dementia Support Groups, Memory Care & Hospice, Saint John’s United Methodist Church, and University of Texas Lewy Body Dementia Study under the direction of . Karen Fingerman, for believing that education, awareness, and community matter.

Following the film, attendees participated in an honest and meaningful panel discussion. Together, we explored the realities of living with Lewy Body Dementia, recognized signs and symptoms, discussed advances in research, shared hopes for improving the lives of those living with LBD, and heard directly from care partners who are navigating this journey every day.

What made the afternoon especially meaningful was the diversity of experiences represented in the room. Families, care partners, professionals, advocates, and community members came together from across Central Texas and beyond with a shared purpose: to better understand Lewy Body Dementia and support those affected by it.

The impact of events like this extends far beyond a single afternoon. Nearly 50 people will now carry these conversations back to their families, workplaces, faith communities, and neighborhoods. Awareness grows one conversation at a time, one story at a time, and one person at a time.

Thank you to everyone who attended, shared, listened, asked questions, and helped create a space where learning, compassion, and hope could thrive.

Together, we continue to bring Lewy Body Dementia out of the shadows and into the conversation.

*A special acknowledgement to Body Dementia Resource Center for making this film available for public viewings such as this.

*If you attended, we’d love to hear your biggest takeaway from the film or panel discussion. Share it below…

05/28/2026

This weekend, we gather not just to learn about Lewy Body Dementia — but to better understand the humans living alongside it.

On Friday, May 29th at 2:00 PM, we invite our Central Texas community to join us at St. John’s United Methodist Church in Austin for a special complimentary showing of “Facing the Wind”.

The film offers an intimate and honest look into the realities of living with Lewy Body Dementia — the uncertainty, the resilience, the relationships, and the deeply human moments that exist inside the diagnosis. It gives voice to both those living with LBD and the care partners walking beside them.

Following the film, we’ll host a panel discussion featuring:
• an LBD researcher
• a dementia educator
• and a care partner with lived experience

Whether you are a family member, healthcare professional, friend, advocate, or someone simply wanting to understand more, you are welcome.

Then on Saturday morning at 10:00 AM, our in-person “Living Together with Lewy” support group will gather at Clearwater at the Arboretum.

This group is designed specifically for individuals living with Lewy Body Dementia and their care partners — a place for conversation, support, understanding, and community with others who truly understand.

Lewy Body Dementia can feel isolating. Community helps remind us we were never meant to navigate it alone.

We would love to see you this weekend. Reach out if I can answer any questions - [email protected] or 832-794-8810.

05/27/2026

I keep thinking about how often we unintentionally reduce older adults in the way we speak about them.

Not out of cruelty; usually out of habit. Sometimes out of discomfort. And, sometimes because healthcare and senior living inherited from institutional environments language that slowly became normalized.

We hear things like:
“Little crafts” (or “little” anything really)
“They love coloring”
“She plays with baby dolls”
“They’re so cute”
“He’s adorable”
“We need to keep them busy”

And over time, adulthood quietly disappears from the room.

Researchers like Susan Kemper and Kristine Williams have spent decades studying what’s called elderspeak — infantilizing communication directed toward older adults. Their work showed that patronizing speech patterns are incredibly common in care settings and are often triggered more by age stereotypes than actual cognitive ability.

And the impact matters.

Williams’ research found that elderspeak in dementia care settings was associated with significantly higher levels of what healthcare often labels “resistive behaviors.”

Which makes me wonder: How many moments we call “behaviors” are actually moments where the nervous system is responding to feeling controlled, diminished, rushed, or spoken to like a child?

This is why I think Montessori principles resonate so deeply in dementia care — when they are truly understood.

Not because Montessori gives us “cute activities.” But because it restores: purpose, role, choice, agency, identity, and adulthood.

There is a profound difference between: “She likes playing with baby dolls.”

and:

“Caring for the doll appears to give her comfort, attachment, and a continued sense of nurturing identity.”

Same object. Entirely different philosophy.

The goal is not to eliminate simplicity. Simplicity is often necessary. Adaptation is compassionate.

But adaptation should never come at the expense of dignity.

An adult does not stop being an adult because cognition changes.

And maybe that’s part of the next evolution of dementia care: learning how to support without reducing, assist without infantilizing, and engage without erasing personhood.

Because people living with dementia do not need help becoming childlike.

They need support remaining fully human.

I’m curious — what words, phrases, or “normal” practices in aging services have you started questioning lately?

05/22/2026

I was recently asked to be a guest for a podcast on relationship-based dementia care and the idea that “care begins with yes.”

Right before we started, I discovered that we weren’t going to use any notes.

At first, I panicked a little because I’m someone who likes structure. I like having my thoughts in front of me so I can build them carefully and intentionally.

But afterward, I realized something interesting—even without my notes, I kept coming back to the same message over and over again:

Care begins with ‘yes’, with permission, and permission is rarely given unless we first approach and connect deeply.

That’s the shift.

So much of traditional care was built around the task—get the bath done, get the medication given, get the person dressed, keep them safe…in essence - ‘doing to/for’ as opposed to ‘being with.’

But people living with dementia experience care through relationship first.

The body responds before words do.

If our approach feels rushed, unfamiliar, forceful, or overwhelming, the body often says “no” long before a person can explain why.

And what we often label as “resistance” may actually be communication—fear, confusion, loss of control, need for safety, need for connection.

Relationship-based care asks us to slow down enough to notice that; to let our presence arrive before our agenda does; to stop asking: “How do I complete this task?”

And begin asking:
“How do I help this person feel safe enough to say yes?”

Because real care does not begin with compliance—it begins with trust.

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05/20/2026

She sees the caregiver coming from down the hallway—fast pace, direct approach, standing over her before a word is spoken.

“Come on sweetheart, let’s get you cleaned up.”

And almost instantly, her body changes. She leans back, grips the chair, turns her face away and firmly says “No.”

Most people see the refusal. Few people stop to ask what the body experienced first.

Because before there was resistance, there was surprise, loss of control, confusion, someone entering her space too quickly, someone leading with task before relationship.

There’s a well-known phrase from trauma psychiatrist and author Bessel van der Kolk: “The body keeps the score.”

His work explored how human beings often carry and respond to experiences physically and neurologically — sometimes even before words or conscious thought fully process what is happening. And in dementia care, we see versions of this every day.

The body often responds long before someone can explain why.

That’s why relationship-based care asks us to pay attention differently. To slow down, to approach within awareness, to avoid entering someone’s space as a surprise, to recognize when our own urgency becomes someone else’s distress, to step back when needed, to gain permission instead of assuming it, to understand that care does not truly begin until the body says “yes.”

Because when approach feels forceful, rushed, unfamiliar, or unsafe, the body often says “no.”

Not because the person is “being difficult.” Not because they are “noncompliant.” But because the nervous system is trying to protect itself.

This is one of the most powerful shifts we continue exploring throughout Dementia SKILLS 2026 — understanding how approach, presence, pacing, and connection shape the entire care experience.

Because changing approach doesn’t just change tasks—it changes trust.

05/19/2026

There comes a point in many caregiving journeys where people realize they don’t just need more information… they need orientation, they need support, and above all, they need to know they are not carrying this alone.

That’s why we’re honored to be the Platinum Sponsor of “A Day of Hope” Caregiving Conference this year.

This conference brings together professionals, educators, medical experts, and community resources focused on helping families navigate Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body dementia, and other changing brain conditions with greater clarity, skill, and connection.

What I appreciate most is that this event is not just about diagnosis or disease progression.

It’s about the lived experience of caregiving—the emotional weight, the decision-making, the communication changes, the “what do we do now?” moments that families quietly carry every day.

Attendees will have access to sessions covering:
• Building a care team
• Legal and financial planning
• Practical caregiving strategies
• Research and treatment updates
• Community resources and support

And one of the most meaningful pieces: Free respite care available during the event — because caregivers deserve support too.

We’ll be there representing both Senior Living Advisors of Austin and Collaborators in Care, and we would truly love to connect with families, care partners, and professionals who believe care should be rooted in relationship, dignity, and real-world skill.

If you’re walking this journey personally or professionally, I hope you’ll join us.

The A Day of Hope Caregiver Conference is an annual educational and support-focused event designed for individuals caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other forms of dementia.The conference brings together medical professionals, care experts, and community resources to provi...

05/18/2026

One of the most important evolutions happening in dementia care is the shift in how we define “good care.”

For years, healthcare largely operated from the medical model: assess, diagnose, treat, complete the task.

And that model brought tremendous advancement in safety, treatment, and clinical understanding.

Then, largely due to Tom Kitwood’s work, came the movement toward person-centered care — an important shift reminding us to see the individual beyond the diagnosis: their preferences, their history, their routines, their identity, their humanity.

That changed care in meaningful ways.

But dementia care continues asking something even deeper from us.

Because there comes a point where a person may no longer be able to consistently express needs, process language, or understand what is happening around them…

…and yet they still experience us.

They experience our pace, our tone, our stress, our body language, our presence, whether they feel rushed or safe, whether they feel directed… or supported.

That is where relationship-based care begins expanding the conversation once again.

Not replacing the medical model.
Not abandoning person-centered care.

But recognizing that connection itself becomes part of the intervention.

Because in dementia care, the relationship often shapes the outcome.

How we approach matters.
How we cue matters.
How we enter someone’s space matters.
How the body experiences the interaction matters.

Care begins long before the task itself.

This is one of the foundational conversations we’ll continue exploring throughout Dementia SKILLS 2026 as we bridge philosophy into practical, real-world application and skill development.

Because connection is not the soft side of care—it is often the difference between distress and trust, resistance and partnership, fear and safety, isolation and belonging.

05/18/2026

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❤️

05/11/2026

For years, dementia education has focused heavily on the disease itself… while many caregivers are still left asking: “But what do I actually do in the moment?”

How do I approach someone without increasing distress? How do I help without “doing for”? How do I create safety, connection, and success when communication changes?

That’s the heart behind Dementia SKILLS 2026.

Over three immersive days, we’ll explore:
• Positive Approach to Care Champion Courses
• Montessori Principles in Dementia, the pathway to becoming a Certified Montessori Dementia Care Professional
• Hands-on skill application and coaching
• Relationship-based approaches (“Being with”)
• Environmental awareness
• Communication changes
• Practical strategies that support dignity, connection, and success

We’ll also offer a pre-conference Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Seminar for those pursuing Certified Dementia Practitioner pathways.

📍 Salt Lake City, Utah
September 8–11
Hosted by Sagewood At Daybreak, a Kisco Senior Living community

📍 Austin, Texas
October 13–16
Hosted by Belmont Village Senior Living Lakeway

This conference is for:

* caregivers
* nurses
* life enrichment professionals
* leadership teams
* therapists
* social workers
* families
* anyone who believes dementia care can be more skillful, relational, and human

Because care changes when skill becomes shared.

More information + registration: http://dementiaskills.com… or comment SKILLS and we’ll drop more information in your box.