Caring for someone with dementia can feel like the rules change from one day to the next. In this episode of Healthcare Redefined: Advocating for Aging Adults and Their Families, hosts Pam Dunwald and Linda Kritikos welcome dementia care specialist Sheri Fairman, MSW, owner of Dementia Care Solutions and Current of Care. Sheri shares practical dementia caregiving strategies to help family caregivers understand changes in behavior, communicate more effectively, reduce distress, and create more good days with an aging loved one. She also explains why early dementia symptoms can be mistaken for normal aging or stress and why families should begin conversations about future care and personal wishes as early as possible.
Pam, Linda, and Sheri explore a different way of approaching difficult moments in dementia care: instead of immediately trying to stop, correct, or control a behavior, become curious about the unmet need behind it. From hearing “I want to go home” to navigating agitation, wandering, daily routines, safety concerns, and choosing not to participate in care, Sheri offers real-world dementia communication tips families can use right away. The conversation also addresses caregiver burnout, sharing caregiving responsibilities, knowing when more support may be needed, and balancing safety with independence and quality of life. Above all, caregivers are encouraged to focus on connection, flexibility, curiosity, and meeting both their loved one’s needs and their own.
Key Moments:
00:00 — Real-World Dementia Tips for Family Caregivers
Why dementia caregiving can change from day to day and how practical strategies can help caregivers feel more prepared and supported.
01:41 — Meet Dementia Care Specialist Sheri Fairman
Sheri shares how caring for her mother and working with family care partners led to her focus on dementia care.
05:32 — Dementia vs. Typical Aging
Why early signs of dementia can be mistaken for stress, forgetfulness, or typical aging and why recognizing brain changes earlier can open opportunities for support.
07:04 — Plan for Dementia Care Before a Crisis
Why including a loved one with brain changes in early conversations can help families understand their wishes before dementia progresses.
09:50 — What to Do When Dementia Care Feels Overwhelming
Sheri explains why increasing caregiver frustration, anxiety, or overwhelm can be a sign that it is time to add more help to the care team.
11:17 — Creating More Good Days with Dementia
How communication, flexibility, supportive environments, and adapting activities can help a person living with dementia continue to enjoy life.
15:20 — Daily Routines, Agitation, and Dementia
Why routines such as consistent sleep and wake times can help, while flexibility protects the relationship between caregivers and their loved ones.
18:18 — Balancing Dementia Safety, Risk, and Independence
How caregivers can consider risk without automatically taking away meaningful activities, autonomy, independence, and quality of life.
23:16 — When Someone Chooses Not to Participate in Care
Why changing the way caregivers think about “refusing care” can encourage curiosity and reduce power struggles.
27:40 — What to Do Instead of Correcting Someone with Dementia
Why trying to prove your reality may create conflict and how curiosity, reflection, validation, and simple choices can build connection instead.
32:06 — Dementia Behavior Can Communicate a Need
A real-life example shows how behavior such as leaving the house may communicate an unmet need rather than simply being something caregivers need to stop.
34:04 — Looking Beyond Agitation, Wandering, and Sundowning
Why broad labels don’t explain what a person needs, and how caregivers can look for underlying needs such as purpose, comfort, or relief from pain.
37:15 — When Someone with Dementia Says, “I Want to Go Home”
Why “home” may represent rest, food, familiarity, safety, security, or another unmet need rather than a specific physical place.
41:52 — Caregiver Burnout, Boundaries, and Getting More Help
Warning signs that a caregiver may need additional support, and why families should often add help earlier than they expect.
47:11 — Caregiver Guilt, Regret, and Quality of Life
Sheri explains the relationship between guilt, resentment, and regret and encourages caregivers to consider their own quality of life when making care decisions.
About Sheri Fairman, MSW, CMDCP, PAC CDE/L:
Sheri Fairman has a Master of Social Work, is a mentor with Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care®, and is a Certified Montessori Dementia Care Professional (CMDCP)
She is a nationally recognized dementia educator, speaker, and care partner advocate dedicated to transforming how we support people living with dementia. With more than a decade of experience working alongside people living with dementia and their care partners, she has seen
firsthand both the challenges of dementia care and the transformational power of the right approach. Sheri’s work focuses on compassionate communication, understanding the changing brain, and creating environments where people living with dementia can thrive.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
- Website: DementiaCareSolutions.org
- Dementia Care Solutions LinkedIn
- Current of Care: CurrentOfCare.com
- Current of Care Facebook
- FISH Approach to Dementia Care info sheet
- FAQ & Practical Guidance For Caring for an Aging Loved One with Dementia
- As always, for more support, join us for our weekly free newsletter “Senior Saturday.” Your weekly dose of tips, strategies, support, and education to help you best care for your aging loved ones.
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