Updates from Carlyn Lenfestey

A New Podcast for Dementia Caregivers: Introducing Navigating Dementia

Mon, 20 Jul 2026 07:38:00 -0500

Navigating Dementia is a new podcast for dementia caregivers, families, and professionals living the daily reality of dementia care. Hosted by physical therapist and dementia care specialist Carlyn Lenfestey, each episode uses the Wheel of Function Framework to help you understand what a behavior is really telling you, before you decide what to do about it. The trailer is live now.

Lewy Body Dementia Symptoms: When Sleep, Alertness, and Daily Life Change

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0400

They were chatting over breakfast. Now getting dressed feels impossible. Lewy body dementia can change sleep, alertness, movement, and what a person sees. Here's how to make sense of those changes, prepare for appointments, and include your own need for rest in the care conversation.

Alzheimer's and Memory Loss: Why They Remember the Past but Forget Today

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0400

How can someone with Alzheimer’s remember every word of an old song but forget a conversation from five minutes ago? That gap can be confusing. Learn why it happens, how Alzheimer’s affects more than memory, and small ways to make daily life easier for the person you care for and for you.

Dementia Behavior: 3 Things to Know Before You Respond

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 05:00:00 -0400

A dementia diagnosis gives us useful information, but it never tells the whole story. Looking at the diagnosis, the person, and the current moment can help care partners respond with more understanding and offer support that actually fits.

Why Stopping a Dementia Behavior Doesn't Solve the Real Problem

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 05:00:00 -0400

Why does someone with dementia keep standing up during a meal, keep asking the same question, or keep trying to leave, even after you've addressed it once? Carlyn Lenfestey, PT, MPT, CDP, CADDCT, explains why behavior in dementia care is never the problem itself, it's a signal of a need the person can no longer put into words. This post walks through a real caregiving moment, the shift from asking "how do I stop this" to "what changed," and introduces The Signal Guide™, the navigation system built around the Wheel of Function Framework™ for the moments a tip doesn't work.

Why a Busy Room Can Make Dementia Symptoms Look Worse Than They Are.

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 09:43:59 -0500

Why can someone manage just fine at her own kitchen table, but seem to lose the ability to eat once she's in a busy dining room? Carlyn Lenfestey, PT, MPT, CDP, CADDCT, explains the environmental spoke of the Wheel of Function Framework™, the fifth and final spoke, which asks what's happening around a person, not just within them. This post walks through the everyday places, a busy room, a dim bathroom, a crowded shirt drawer, that quietly ask more of a changing brain, and makes the case that care partners are part of that environment too, in their voice, their pace, and their rush.

Dementia and Cognition: Why Everyday Tasks Become Harder

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 12:12:55 -0500

Why does breaking a task into simple steps sometimes make it harder for someone with dementia, not easier? Carlyn Lenfestey, PT, MPT, CDP, CADDCT, explains the cognitive spoke of the Wheel of Function Framework™, the driver of function that decides how much a person's brain can actually take in and act on at once. Using a story from her years as a physical therapist, this post shows why more verbal instructions can overload a changing brain instead of helping it, and what to try instead, starting with a single item handed over instead of six laid out on the bed

Why Physical Function in Dementia Isn't Just About Strength

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 05:00:00 -0400

Why can someone with dementia get out of a chair just fine one moment and seem unable to the next? Carlyn Lenfestey, PT, MPT, CDP, CADDCT, explains the physical spoke of the Wheel of Function Framework™, the idea that physical ability in dementia is never fixed, it moves with pain, fatigue, the setup of a room, and how much help shows up in that moment. This post uses a story from her years in dementia care to show why "he did it this morning" doesn't mean "he can do it tonight," and what changes once a caregiver starts asking what's different about the moment instead of the person.

Why Dementia Behavior Is Never Just About the Task

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 07:32:54 -0500

Why does someone with dementia suddenly get angry, resist a shower, or insist on seeing a mother who died years ago? Carlyn Lenfestey, PT, MPT, CDP, CADDCT, explains the emotional spoke of the Wheel of Function Framework™, the idea that behavior is never just a response to the task in front of a person, it is also a response to what they are feeling underneath it. This post uses a story from her years as a physical therapist to show how fear, anger, and grief change what someone with dementia is able to do, and what shifts when a caregiver responds to the feeling instead of correcting the facts.

Why Dementia Behavior Doesn't Make Sense (Until You Look at the Senses)

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 07:00:00 -0400

A resident kept falling until his physical therapist realized his legs were never the problem, his brain could no longer tell his maroon bedspread from the maroon wall behind it. In this piece, Carlyn Lenfestey, PT, MPT, CDP, CADDCT, uses that story to unpack the sensory spoke of the Wheel of Function Framework™, and why behaviors like refusing a shower, seeming to ignore you, or pulling away from touch are often the sensory system trying to communicate. You'll learn what to watch for and what actually helps.