Praise for Dementia, Caregiving, and Personal History
In a sea of practical guides, this book stands out for its emotional intelligence. Tami Anastasia gives caregivers the tools not just to survive, but to heal.
– Kevin Jameson, Founder and CEO, Dementia Society of America
In the landscape of dementia literature, Dementia, Caregiving & Personal History stands apart as an essential companion for caregivers and families. What distinguishes this work is its rare combination of deep compassion and unwavering practicality; qualities that caregivers desperately need but too rarely find together.
Rather than offering generic advice, this book recognizes that dementia manifests differently in each person, requiring strategies tailored to individual personalities, circumstances, and disease stages. The author demonstrates remarkable sensitivity to the emotional toll on families while providing clear, actionable guidance for managing everything from difficult behaviors to practical care decisions.
What makes this book invaluable is its recognition that caregiving is not one-size-fits-all. The strategies are flexible and adaptable, acknowledging that what works for one family may not work for another, and what works today may need adjustment tomorrow.
The practical advice is comprehensive yet accessible, covering the full spectrum of caregiver challenges while never losing sight of the human element: the love, frustration, grief, and hope that define this experience. Tami Anastasia has succeeded in creating a work that honors both the complexity of dementia and the resilience of those who provide care.
– Michael Fossel, MD, PhD, Chairman and Founder, Telocyte
We do not provide dementia care in a vacuum. Our care partners have their own fears, traumas, and histories, just like we do. All of these experiences are part of the caregiving relationship, which is part of why dementia care can be so challenging. Thankfully, Tami Anastasia offers valuable insights on how to incorporate your care partner’s history and experiences and how they may be affecting the present moment. She teaches empathy through understanding, offers personalized care strategies, and support through insight. Helping caregivers notice patterns and interpret behaviors like ‘I want to go home’ or ‘someone is stealing from me’ may be communicating. She also provides guidance to caregivers by sharing how they can check in with themselves and reflect on their own stories and history that may be affecting the care they provide. This book will empower you to provide care with dignity for both yourself and your care partner.
– Rosanne Corcoran, Daughterhood the Podcast
Dementia, Caregiving, and Personal History: How to Help, Cope, Connect, and Heal
By Tami Anastasia, MA
How the Past We Share Shapes the Care We Give
What if dementia care began not with symptoms, but with stories?
This groundbreaking guide reveals how a lifetime of personal history—old traumas, deep-seated traits, cultural expectations, spiritual practices, and emotional anchors—resurfaces in dementia and shapes behavior in the present moment.
What You’ll Discover
- The Person with Dementia: Why past experiences, coping mechanisms, and long-buried traits emerge again—and how to meet them with understanding instead of frustration.
- The Caregiver’s Inner World: How family roles, attachment patterns, and unhealed wounds impact your caregiving, and what to do when trauma complicates the journey.
- The Healing Process: Tools to set boundaries, protect your well-being, and eventually grow through caregiving—finding meaning, connection, and resilience along the way.
Why This Book Matters
Dementia magnifies what has always been there: fears, joys, habits, identities, and old wounds. By uncovering those backstories, you’ll understand what’s driving behavior—and learn to respond with empathy, clarity, and steadiness. At the same time, you’ll gain practices that help you care for yourself, navigate family dynamics, and heal through (and after) the caregiving experience.
For Caregivers at Every Stage
Whether you are just beginning the journey, deep in the daily realities, or finding your footing after caregiving ends, this book is a guide and companion. With case stories, practical strategies, and reflection prompts, it will help you honor the past, support the present, and create space for your own healing.
Tami Anastasia, MA is a dementia care expert, educator, and speaker. For more than 30 years, she has provided counseling services, dementia guidance, emotional support, and care strategies to family and professional dementia caregivers. Tami is a sought-after speaker for professional conferences, universities, memory care communities, and public health organizations.
Ordering 10 or more books for your community, facility, or organization? Get your quantity discount here.
Tami’s Services
Counseling
- Are you a caregiver dealing with the changes dementia causes? Tami can provide you with the emotional support and care strategies you need.
- Are you newly diagnosed and in the early stages of dementia? Work with Tami to process this life-altering diagnosis.
- Are you a caregiver in crisis due to your loved one’s difficult behavior or recent hospitalization? Tami can provide tools and solutions.
- Are you struggling with feelings of sadness and grief while caring for your loved one? Tami’s deep understanding of ambiguous loss and anticipatory grief will help you cope and prepare for the future.
Tami is a compassionate counselor who understands your frustrations and concerns.
Online Support Groups
- Held via Zoom, Tami’s support groups provide a safe and compassionate environment to share your experiences, discover helpful tools, and connect with other caregivers.
- Dementia caregiver support groups provide guidance for spouses, partners, adult children, friends, and relatives of loved ones with dementia.
- Coming in September: Early-stage dementia support groups will assist those grappling with a dementia diagnosis plan for the future.
Tami’s online support groups empower you to handle the challenges you face.
On-Site Services
- Available for Northern California clients living in the following counties: Santa Clara, San Benito, San Mateo, Monterey, and Santa Cruz.
- Tami develops a connection with your loved one living with dementia who resides at home or in a care community.
- Tami creates cognitive and physical stimulation activities tailored to your loved one’s interests and needs. These activities are designed to keep your loved one physically, emotionally, and cognitively engaged.
- Tami visits your home to provide counseling, whether you're living with dementia or are a dementia caregiver.
Tami provides your loved one with a sense of purpose and value.
Connect with Tami
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