About Jaiden

Jaiden was with my sister, who has Alzheimer’s and is a cancer survivor, for just over a year. She was the perfect companion and always attentive and caring. She brought one of her two therapy dogs with her daily, to my sister’s delight. She prepared foods from recipes my sister would clip from the New York Times. She often modified the food she prepared to adhere with recommended guidelines for borderline kidney disease resulting from the cancer medications. Her greatest strength, however, was her ability to provide unwavering emotional support for the mood swings and forgetfulness associated with progressive dementia. She helped keep the home environment peaceful and running smoothly. She brought puzzles and incorporated memory activities into the daily care routine. She carefully monitored, meted out and logged medications and took and recorded my sister’s blood pressure daily. With the use of my sister’s car, she picked up medications when the mail order pharmacy failed us. Though she did not take her to medical appointments that might require an in-depth knowledge of my sister’s medical history, she routinely drove her to lab and scan appointments and classes on kidney disease and fall prevention. Though it was generally difficult to get my sister to leave her house, Jaiden periodically was able to entice her to go to an art exhibit or to other places she knew my sister might be open to going to. Jaiden was generally good about communicating changes and developments in my sister’s medical condition and care routine. She was also open to adjusting her hours to accommodate changing needs, a courtesy that was reciprocal, as we attempted to counterbalance the often difficult terrain of providing care for someone suffering from Alzheimer’s. To summarize, if you have a loved one afflicted with dementia, it would be difficult to find anyone as attuned to providing the necessary emotional care and support that Jaiden does.