What do you do when the person you love says something that isn't true, and correcting them only makes things worse? In this episode, Lyndal introduces two practical and powerful approaches that can make a big difference for both the person living with dementia, and their families and carers - connection over correction, and validation. Lyndal explains why correction so often backfires — and what to do instead. If you've ever felt lost in one of those difficult conversations, this episode is for you.

In this episode:

• Why our instinct to correct comes from love, and why it so often makes things harder
• A conversation with a woman whose husband said he was going on a date with a high-school girlfriend and the reframe that changed everything
• Why dementia doesn't just affect memory and what that means for moments of conflict
• The nervous system piece that explains why correction can cause distress
• What 'connection over correction' actually looks like in a real conversation
• The second approach - validation
• A simple shift Lyndal made with her own mum that ended a pattern of arguing
• Why the pause before you respond might be the most important moment in the whole conversation
• The difference between feeling safe and feeling dysregulated, and why it matters for the whole day ahead.

Links & Resources

• Listen to episode 8 - Dementia & Brain Change
• Dementia Doulas Australia
• Dementia Support Australia website
• Dementia Australia website
• Alzheimer's Queensland
• Connect with Lyndal Harris on LinkedIn
• Follow Lyndal on Facebook
• Follow Lyndal on Instagram

In this episode, Lyndal is joined by Leah Keating - dementia doula, CST facilitator, and founder of LK Dementia Doula Services. This is a conversation that could genuinely shift the way you think about dementia. We explore why some practitioners are moving away from the word "dementia" altogether, what's actually happening inside the brain when a disease like Alzheimer's or Lewy body takes hold, and why getting curious - rather than brushing things off - could make all the difference for your family.

In this episode:

• Why today's conversation might change the way you think about dementia
• Leah's journey from school support officer to aged care to dementia doula
• Why the word "dementia" makes people recoil - and what "brain change" offers instead
• How knowing where in the brain is changing can help families make sense of what they're seeing
• Left brain, right brain - why your loved one might be losing words but can still sing every lyric to their favourite song
• The neuron explanation that finally makes sense: what plaques, tangles, and Lewy bodies actually do inside the brain
• Why Lewy body dementia is so often missed or misdiagnosed Vascular dementia, blood flow, and the heart health connection most people don't know about
• The important reminder that not everything that looks like dementia is dementia
• Why a diagnosis often comes years after the brain started changing, and what early intervention could mean for you or someone you love.

• Follow LK Dementia Doula Services on Facebook
• Connect with Leah Keating on LinkedIn
• Dementia Doulas Australia
• Compassionate Transitions website
• Connect with Lyndal Harris on LinkedIn
• Follow Lyndal on Facebook
• Follow Lyndal on Instagram

Send your question via the Compassionate Transitions website, or through social media.

This podcast is for educational purposes only and isn't a substitute for professional medical advice.

A dementia diagnosis is not the end of the story. Not by a long shot. In this episode, Lyndal explores what living well after a dementia diagnosis actually looks like in practice: why staying active matters more than most people realise, what loneliness and social isolation actually do to the brain, and the mindset shift that changes how families show up for someone they love. Because a diagnosis tells you what's happening in the brain. It doesn't write the next chapter.

In this episode:

• The picture most people have in their head when they hear "dementia" and why it's not the whole story
• What the research actually tells us about staying physically active after a diagnosis
• The well-meaning thing families do that can accidentally speed up decline
• Why loneliness and social isolation aren't just uncomfortable, they have measurable effects on the brain
• What "connection over correction" means, and why it changes everything about how you show up
• Why purpose and identity matter more than most people realise in the years after a diagnosis
• What the global shift in how we think about dementia means for families navigating the early years.

• Forward with Dementia
• Dementia Doulas Australia
• Dementia Support Australia website
• Dementia Australia website
• Alzheimer's Queensland
• Compassionate Transitions website
• Connect with Lyndal Harris on LinkedIn
• Follow Lyndal on Facebook
• Follow Lyndal on Instagram

Send your question via the Compassionate Transitions website, or through social media.

This podcast is for educational purposes only and isn't a substitute for professional medical advice.