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Oliver Buchannon
Ben Couch

Leveling up transfer training and reducing risk for direct care staff.

Can we talk about how bad most dementia advice is?

Mar 17, 2026

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11 min read

Can we talk about how bad most dementia advice is?

Most training and advice on dementia is woefully incomplete and desperately inadequate. This week we'll tackle why that is, and give you some information on dealing with aggression that is actually useful.

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
How Are You Doing? Resources for Caregivers in Distress

Mar 3, 2026

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8 min read

How Are You Doing? Resources for Caregivers in Distress

Also in this edition:

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
All About Falls: Why They Happen, Predicting Them, and What to Do

Feb 26, 2026

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5 min read

All About Falls: Why They Happen, Predicting Them, and What to Do

This week I've created three short videos that will show you why falls happen, how to predict them, and how to manage a fall so neither you nor your loved one is injured.

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
A Toolbox for Creating Meaningful Moments with Your Loved One

Feb 17, 2026

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11 min read

A Toolbox for Creating Meaningful Moments with Your Loved One

Also in this edition: Perfect caregiver posture for transfers. Fix your posture in under 30 seconds to protect your back.

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
Your biggest caregiving weakness is hiding something

Feb 11, 2026

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8 min read

Your biggest caregiving weakness is hiding something

This week, my mom ended up in the hospital. What happened there reminded me of something family caregivers don't hear enough.

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
Being There

Feb 3, 2026

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8 min read

Being There

Caregivers tend to be people of action: that’s the whole reason why many of us started caring. We saw a need, so we acted. We fix, solve, coordinate, and mastermind. But then, some day, your unstoppable force will run into that proverbial immovable object. Maybe that’s already happened to you.

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
Go Along to Get Along: AKA the Fabulous Fiblet

Jan 27, 2026

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9 min read

Go Along to Get Along: AKA the Fabulous Fiblet

Also in this edition: The bride and groom had already logged nearly four decades of marriage before he asked her to marry him again—forgetting he'd done it the first time.

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
Dementia Prevention, Prediction, and Detection: What Have We Learned?

Jan 20, 2026

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9 min read

Dementia Prevention, Prediction, and Detection: What Have We Learned?

Also in this edition: information overload and what we can do today about dementia.

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
Breakthrough Reveals Gene Driving Most of Dementia

Jan 15, 2026

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6 min read

Breakthrough Reveals Gene Driving Most of Dementia

Also in this edition: Video - How to Safely Use Your Muscles for Transfers

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
Dementia Breakdown: Understanding Alzheimer's and Beyond

Jan 7, 2026

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7 min read

Dementia Breakdown: Understanding Alzheimer's and Beyond

When I ran my poll for what information the newsletter audience is looking for in the new year, the overwhelming response was “insights into symptoms, progression, and underlying causes.”

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
Research Roundup: Top Dementia Advances of 2025

Dec 30, 2025

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8 min read

Research Roundup: Top Dementia Advances of 2025

Also in this edition: how to cope with repetition from a loved one with dementia.

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
You Don’t Find Gratitude in the Moment—You Find the Moment Through Gratitude

Dec 24, 2025

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8 min read

You Don’t Find Gratitude in the Moment—You Find the Moment Through Gratitude

Also in this edition:

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
A Dementia Newsletter First! (oops)

Dec 16, 2025

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9 min read

A Dementia Newsletter First! (oops)

Last week was the first time I missed pushing out an edition of the Newsletter. Why? Because I was attending an intense industry Think Tank in Austin, TX and couldn't break away for even a quick update. However, this week I'm telling you how that conference will change everything.

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
Stick 'Em Up! Post-It Power and Dementia

Dec 2, 2025

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6 min read

Stick 'Em Up! Post-It Power and Dementia

When memory starts to fade, many adults make the most of their time by finding the memory cues that work for them.

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
🎉Happy Birthday to Us! 1 Year of the Newsletter!🎂

Nov 25, 2025

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6 min read

🎉Happy Birthday to Us! 1 Year of the Newsletter!🎂

The Dementia Newsletter turned 1 year old this week!

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
How to Validate What You Don't Understand

Nov 18, 2025

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9 min read

How to Validate What You Don't Understand

Despite the fact that the word “validation” has hit the mainstream in the American culture of active listening practices, I don’t feel like it’s particularly well-understood.

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
Asker vs Guesser Families: Dementia Does Make Guessers of Us All

Nov 11, 2025

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12 min read

Asker vs Guesser Families: Dementia Does Make Guessers of Us All

Also in this edition: Would you take a quick survey for senior living leaders? I'm presenting results at a Think Tank in Austin in December, and your answers could shape the discussion for years to come.

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
5 Things to Check First—Understanding Dementia Behaviors

Nov 4, 2025

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8 min read

5 Things to Check First—Understanding Dementia Behaviors

Understanding behaviors as “responsive” is a critical first step. Behaviors don’t simply spring into the world on their own. There is always a cause, and behaviors are an effect, a response.

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
Goldilocks and the Three Caregivers

Oct 28, 2025

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11 min read

Goldilocks and the Three Caregivers

Also in this edition: the results from the Walk to End Alzheimer's!

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
Beyond “lift with your legs”: the secret mechanics of safe transfers

Oct 21, 2025

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10 min read

Beyond “lift with your legs”: the secret mechanics of safe transfers

A special edition of the Newsletter devoted to transfer safety. Includes 4 short videos (0:20–1:00) to reduce injury risk now.

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
The Visitor's Rulebook: Reframing Care to Restore Connection

Oct 14, 2025

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10 min read

The Visitor's Rulebook: Reframing Care to Restore Connection

A guest’s mindset turns hard moments into calm, connection, and cooperation.

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
Don't Try This at Home: Transfers from Japan!

Oct 7, 2025

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11 min read

Don't Try This at Home: Transfers from Japan!

Also in this edition: Silence and Healing for Dementia Anxiety; Ways to Support the Alzheimer's Association's Walk to End Alzheimer's

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
Smell and Memory: Newness in the Back Yards of Our Lives

Sep 30, 2025

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10 min read

Smell and Memory: Newness in the Back Yards of Our Lives

Smell is a funny thing: it connects us to our past like no other sense. It’s almost as though a smell can flip a switch and move us through time in an instant.

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
When Words Fade: Listening Beyond Language in Dementia

Sep 23, 2025

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8 min read

When Words Fade: Listening Beyond Language in Dementia

When language starts to break down for someone with dementia, all of the rules of conversation change. Here's how you can keep up.

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
What to Do When There's Nothing You Can Do

Sep 16, 2025

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8 min read

What to Do When There's Nothing You Can Do

My mom was hospitalized twice this weekend, once after a fall and then again with pneumonia. She was largely unresponsive for about 24 hours. I wanted to do something, help in some way, fix the situation... That’s what an expert would know how to do, right?

Ben Couch
Ben Couch
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The Dementia Newsletter, by elumenEd

The Dementia Newsletter, by elumenEd

Expert best practices to improve your caregiving today

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