Nonfiction
Date Published: July 10, 2025
Publisher: MindStir Media
caregivers—because you deserve peace too.
Making Peace with Dementia is written for the unsung heroes navigating the
challenges of dementia care—family members, friends, and loved ones
suddenly thrust into a complex and emotional role. Drawing on more than 25
years of experience as an occupational therapist, senior living consultant,
and dementia care coach, Ann Olson offers both heart and expertise in this
easy-to-read, transformative guide.
Blending professional insight with real-life stories, Olson shares
tried-and-true strategies to help care partners interact more effectively and
peacefully with those living with Alzheimer’s, Lewy body, or
frontotemporal dementia. With clarity and warmth, she addresses some of the
most difficult aspects of caregiving—challenging behaviors,
communication struggles, burnout, and grief—while reminding caregivers
that they are not alone.
Inside you’ll discover:
● A deeper understanding of what your loved one is experiencing
● Tools to respond to difficult situations with empathy and confidence
● Guidance on setting healthy boundaries and letting go of guilt
● Techniques to reduce tension and create calmer interactions
● Self-care practices to protect your well-being while caregiving
that while dementia may not improve, we can get better at managing
it—and ourselves.
Whether you’re just beginning the journey or deep in the throes of
caregiving, Making Peace with Dementia is your roadmap to reclaiming hope,
balance, and peace.
EXCERPT
INTRODUCTION
I’m Ann. Like you, I’m an ordinary person trying to wade through the murky waters of dementia caregiving. And it’s rough! As an occupational therapist, I’ve had the benefit of clinical training, countless hours of continuing education, and experience working with hundreds of clients and their families. And yet dementia still has a sneaky, defeating way of causing disruption and frustration in me. But . . . for some reason, I remain intrigued.
In order to ride the waves of dementia, I’ve had to find a way to calm the storm. Dementia care is not about creating a perfect scenario or infallible strategy. It’s about striving for balance, not perfection. When there is chaos, often what is most needed is something to restore calmness and after many years working in dementia care I have finally discovered a formula that works for me.
Not everything I write will apply to your situation, as every dementia experience is unique, but there are many common strategies that help most people manage dementia one step and one day at a time. Some of these techniques may seem counterintuitive, which is why it’s so important to find reliable information. Equally important is your knowledge of your loved one, and blending this knowledge with new learning will make you a more confident caregiver.
Do you remember the 1989 movie Back to the Future? The main character, Marty McFly, has accidentally traveled back to the year 1955 in a sports car time machine invented by Doc Brown. Marty finds himself in an earlier version of his hometown, meeting younger versions of his parents. Things are oddly familiar but also completely foreign at the same time. He needs to go back and forth between two realities as he tries to function in a 1950s world but speaks, dresses, and operates from a 1980s perspective. The things Marty says make no sense to the people around him, who find him strange. He is laughed at and dismissed when he tells them the former actor, Ronald Reagan, is now the president.
Like Marty, a person living with dementia (who I will often refer to as “your person” from now on) may seem trapped in an alternate reality. Because their brain is losing mass and function, we need to try to understand their reality rather than forcing them back into ours. So—if they think the cleaning lady’s name is Jane when it’s actually Bertha, just go with it. If Bertha is worth having around, she’ll understand!
Understanding their reality also means we step in and offer help when they struggle and know they’re not intentionally trying to be difficult. We also try not belittle them when they make a mistake. If we have been blessed with a healthy brain, we have the capacity to problem-solve, remember most things, and anticipate danger. In many cases, we are now “thinking for two” and have to lead the way when they become lost like Marty.
Let’s spend a little time discussing some basic points about dementia. One common misunderstanding is that dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are the same thing. “Dementia” is a more general term that includes a group of conditions that affect the brain and a person’s ability to perform activities of daily living or “ADLs.” Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia followed by vascular, Lewy body, and frontotemporal dementia. Mixed dementia is a condition where two or more forms of dementia are present, and researchers have found that this is more common than initially thought (James, 2016). There are many other types of dementia that are rare and equally devastating, especially when a diagnosis is delayed due to limited access to a specialist.
About the Author
occupational therapist, senior living consultant, and dementia educator. She
is passionate about empowering family caregivers to navigate the dementia
journey with greater peace, understanding, and effectiveness.
Ann’s work is grounded in real-world experience—not only as a
healthcare professional but also as a personal caregiver. After leaving her
demanding job to care for her ailing mother and support others on a part-time
basis, she began writing Making Peace with Dementia—a heartfelt
culmination of her expertise and life lessons.
Her coaching and teaching help families understand the changes they see in
their loved ones, implement proven strategies, develop realistic expectations,
and recognize what they can and cannot control. Above all, she believes in
supporting the primary caregiver—who rarely asks for the role but
deserves guidance and grace.
Ann’s writing is deeply personal, shaped by both financial loss and
emotional growth. She credits her clients with teaching her how to be more
patient, confident, and compassionate. Through Making Peace with Dementia, she
hopes to shift the narrative from caregiving as a burden to something
that—while undeniably hard—can be meaningful, manageable, and even
transformative.
