When someone you love, whether it’s a relative, a partner or a friend, is diagnosed with dementia, it’s like getting hit with a wave of cold water. It doesn’t matter if you saw it coming, or what type of dementia has been diagnosed, whether clinical treatments are...
Insights & Inspiration
Where real stories and expert wisdom come together to lift and support the unexpected caregiving journey.
The Power of Telling the Hard Truth
In April, I had the honor of speaking at the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration's (AFTD) first Capitol Hill briefing. I approached this opportunity with a profound sense of responsibility. I knew that when I stood before lawmakers, advocates, researchers, and...
How to Publicly Advocate for a Caregiver on Their Behalf
When someone you know or love becomes a caregiver, their whole world changes. Much, if not most, of their time and energy goes toward managing appointments, navigating complicated systems, dealing with stress, and simply trying to make it through the day. Their life...
The San Bernardino Sun, Riverside Press Enterprise-OpEd: Why California Must Track Frontotemporal Dementia
May 12, 2026- When my husband, Bruce Willis, was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), our family was thrust into a world we were totally unprepared to navigate. I want to share what that experience is like for FTD families like ours, and why a simple change...
The Dementia Stigma: Why it exists and how you can help lift it.
I first noticed something was “off" in July of 2007. I was 23, fresh out of college, and Mom had come with me to Baltimore—300 miles from home—to help me find an apartment. I was nervous about starting my “adult” life and doing what I’d always done when things got...
When Pain Begins to Move
There was a time when the pain felt so internal and confusing that I didn’t have language for it. Before there was a diagnosis or name for what we were experiencing, there was just a feeling. Something was off. Something wasn’t right. And my instinct was to keep it to...
Finding Your Voice as a Caregiver: How to Communicate Under Pressure
Recently my mother was fired by one of her longtime doctors. Not because she missed appointments or ignored medical advice, but because she asked a question. She wanted to understand her treatment options before agreeing to one that had left two of her friends with...
The Holidays Look Different Now
The holidays have a way of holding up a mirror, reflecting who we’ve been, who we are, and what we imagined they would be. When you’re caring for someone with dementia, that reflection can feel especially poignant. Traditions that once felt somewhat effortless require...
Understanding the Different Dementias
Did you know there are over 120 different types and forms of dementia? Most people know about Alzheimer disease, but how much do you know about the other most common forms of dementia? These dementias do have several things in common: they are all chronic,...








