Navigating Dementia

Carlyn Lenfestey
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Mental Health

Navigating Dementia is a weekly podcast for anyone caring for someone with dementia, family and professional caregivers alike. Host Carlyn Lenfestey, a physical therapist and dementia care specialist with 25 years of clinical experience, uses real stories and everyday moments to show that behavior is never the problem. It's always the signal. Each episode teaches one meaningful insight through her Wheel of Function Framework™, delivered like a conversation over coffee, not a lecture. There is always a better way.

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    Why Dementia Behavior Is Never Just About the Task

    Before you label another moment "just agitation" or "a behavior problem," ask the question that actually changes things: what might this person be feeling right now? In this episode, Carlyn tells the story of a resident in long-term care who kept ending up on the floor, not from a stumble, not from a lost transfer, just a sudden trip to the floor, usually right after a loud noise. No reaching, no sliding, no lost balance, nothing about it looked like a normal fall. The pattern didn't make sense until Carlyn learned what was underneath it: a man with severe PTSD, taking cover from a sound only he could really hear. What started as a mystery about falls became the doorway into the second spoke of the Wheel of Function™: emotional function, and how much of dementia behavior is actually emotion wearing a different name. The problem was never just about the falls, or the anger, or the shower that got refused. Carlyn walks through why a mom might pull away from a shower, why a dad might insist he has to get home to a mother who's been gone for twenty years, and why "leave me alone" might be less about agitation and more about a very human need for control. She traces the shift from asking "how do we stop this behavior" to asking "what might this person be feeling right now," and why that one change opens up entirely different options for care. In This Episode The "falls" that weren't fallsWhat "hit the deck" had to do with itWhy the truth isn't always the kindest thing to sayWhy anger might be about control, not confusionWhat's coming next in the series Connect with Carlyn FREE Weekly Newsletter, Finding Our Way In Dementia Care -> https://abetterwaydementiacaresolutions.com/page/weekly-sign-up-1?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=ep5_shownotes Website -> https://www.abetterwaydementiacaresolutions.com Facebook -> https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562478140551 Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/abetterwaydementiacaresolution/ LinkedIn -> https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyn-lenfestey-abetterwaydementiacaresolutions Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/carlyn0832/ YouTube -> https://www.youtube.com/@NavigatingDementia If this one hit close to home, follow the show so you catch what's next: another spoke of the Wheel of Function™, and how it connects to everything we covered today.

    Why Dementia Behavior Is Never Just About the Task

  2. Aug 17

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

    Before you label another moment "just the dementia," ask the question that actually changes things: what is this person's brain actually taking in right now? In this episode, Carlyn tells the story of a resident in long-term care who kept ending up on the floor, and the evaluation that turned up nothing: strong legs, steady balance, a normal gait. The falls didn't make sense until she started asking a different set of questions, not just how he was falling, but where and when. What she found in his room became the doorway into the first spoke of the Wheel of Function™: sensory function, and how much more it covers than most caregivers ever think to ask about. The problem was never just about falls. Carlyn walks through why a person might suddenly refuse a shower, stop answering questions in a noisy room, or pull away from a familiar touch, and why each of those moments might be the brain's sensory system trying to communicate something the words can't. She traces the shift from asking "how do we stop this behavior" to asking "what is this person's brain actually seeing, hearing, and feeling right now," and why that one change opens up entirely different options for care. In This Episode The evaluation that found nothing wrongWhat a maroon bedspread had to do with itWhy "refusing" a shower might be a sensory responseThe question that turns behavior into a clueWhat's coming next in the seriesConnect with Carlyn FREE Weekly Newsletter, Finding Our Way In Dementia Care -> https://abetterwaydementiacaresolutions.com/page/weekly-sign-up-1?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=ep4_shownotes Website -> https://www.abetterwaydementiacaresolutions.comFacebook -> https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562478140551Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/abetterwaydementiacaresolution/LinkedIn -> https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyn-lenfestey-abetterwaydementiacaresolutionsPinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/carlyn0832/YouTube -> https://www.youtube.com/@NavigatingDementia If this one hit close to home, follow the show so you catch what's next: another spoke of the Wheel of Function™, and how it connects to everything we covered today.

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

  3. Aug 10

    Why Does Dementia Information Feel So Scattered and Overwhelming?

    Before you take another course or read another article, ask the question that actually changes things: how does this all connect? In this episode, Carlyn tells the story of a dementia course she took in Nashville almost ten years before she ever started A Better Way, and the question that followed her home afterward: she believed everything she'd just learned, so why couldn't she picture how any of it fit together? That question sat with her through years of treating patients and leading family workshops, watching good, true information pile up in disconnected pieces instead of one usable picture. The problem was never a lack of information. Most families and professionals already have plenty of it, scattered across courses, research, and well-meaning advice that rarely agrees on where to start. Carlyn walks through the bicycle wheel she used to teach families, and why it worked right up until the next important idea refused to fit next to it. She traces the years of quietly testing, sketching, and rethinking that followed, and the unexpected question, sparked by her own logo, that finally connected everything into what she now calls the Wheel of Function™. In This Episode Why more information rarely solves the real problemThe bicycle wheel that worked, until it didn'tThe question a lighthouse accidentally askedHow ten years of scattered ideas became one frameworkWhat's coming next in the seriesConnect with Carlyn FREE Weekly Newsletter, Finding Our Way In Dementia Care -> https://abetterwaydementiacaresolutions.com/page/weekly-sign-up-1?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=ep3_shownotes Website -> https://www.abetterwaydementiacaresolutions.com Facebook -> https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562478140551 Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/abetterwaydementiacaresolution/ LinkedIn -> https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyn-lenfestey-abetterwaydementiacaresolutionsPinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/carlyn0832/ YouTube -> https://www.youtube.com/@NavigatingDementia If this one hit close to home, follow the show so you catch what's next: how each spoke of the Wheel of Function™ actually works.

    Why Does Dementia Information Feel So Scattered and Overwhelming?

  4. Aug 3

    Why Won't Any Dementia Strategy Work Anymore?

    Before you try another redirect or distraction, ask the one question that actually changes things: what's going on? In this episode, Carlyn tells the story of a husband in one of her support groups who'd tried everything, redirecting, distracting, reassuring, validating, and still felt like nothing worked. That conversation cracked open a shift in how she thinks about every hard moment in dementia care. The strategies most of us are taught (redirect, distract, validate, reassure) aren't wrong. But handing them out before understanding what's actually happening is like a physical therapist prescribing exercises before ever evaluating what's causing the pain. Carlyn walks through why the same behavior, like refusing a shower, can come from five completely different causes, and why the question "what's really going on?" has to come before any response. In This Episode Why "I've tried everything" usually means someone skipped a step, not that they failedThe physical therapy parallel: evaluate before you treatWhy the same behavior can have completely different causesThe one question to ask before reaching for another strategyWhat's coming next in the seriesConnect with CarlynFREE Weekly Newsletter, Finding Our Way In Dementia Care -> https://abetterwaydementiacaresolutions.com/page/weekly-sign-up-1?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=ep2_shownotesWebsite -> https://www.abetterwaydementiacaresolutions.comFacebook -> https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562478140551Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/abetterwaydementiacaresolution/LinkedIn -> https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyn-lenfestey-abetterwaydementiacaresolutionsPinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/carlyn0832/YouTube -> https://www.youtube.com/@NavigatingDementia If this one hit close to home, follow the show so you catch what's next: how to organize the answers once you're asking better questions.

    Why Won't Any Dementia Strategy Work Anymore?

  5. Jul 27

    Why Does Someone With Dementia Try to Go to Work? Learning to Read the Signal

    Everyone around him called it confusion. Carlyn came to see it differently, and that shift changed everything. In this first episode of Navigating Dementia, Carlyn shares the story that started it all: her grandfather Steve, a small-town shopkeeper in Limestone, Maine, who spent his mornings getting dressed for work, for a store that had burned down years before. That shift in perspective became the foundation for A Better Way: Dementia Care Solutions. It's the story behind why this show exists, and why Carlyn believes behavior is never the problem, it's always the signal. In This Episode The story of Carlyn's grandfather Steve and the store that burned downWhy what looked like confusion wasn't confusion at allHow that shift in perspective became the foundation of A Better Way: Dementia Care SolutionsWhat to expect from Navigating Dementia going forwardConnect with CarlynFREE Weekly Newsletter, Finding Our Way In Dementia Care -> https://abetterwaydementiacaresolutions.com/page/weekly-sign-up-1?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=ep1_shownotesWebsite -> https://www.abetterwaydementiacaresolutions.comFacebook -> https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562478140551Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/abetterwaydementiacaresolution/LinkedIn -> https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyn-lenfestey-abetterwaydementiacaresolutionsPinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/carlyn0832/YouTube -> https://www.youtube.com/@NavigatingDementia If this story sat with you, follow the show so you don't miss what's next.

    Why Does Someone With Dementia Try to Go to Work? Learning to Read the Signal

  6. Season 1 Trailer

    A Personal Welcome: There Has to Be a Better Way

    Welcome to Navigating Dementia. If you've ever found yourself thinking, There has to be a better way, you're in the right place. Most care partners are not looking for more information. They're looking for someone to help them make sense of what they're seeing. When dementia changes the way a person thinks, communicates, or responds to the world around them, it can leave you feeling overwhelmed, uncertain, and wondering if you're doing enough. You are not alone. Join physical therapist, dementia educator, and coach Carlyn Lenfestey each week for practical guidance, heartfelt stories, and a fresh perspective on dementia care. Drawing from more than 25 years of clinical experience and her own family's journey with dementia, Carlyn helps care partners look beyond the behavior, understand what it may be communicating, and respond with greater confidence and compassion. Whether you're caring for a parent, spouse, friend, neighbor, or supporting people professionally, you'll find practical tools, encouragement, and a reminder that you don't have to navigate this journey alone. Welcome. I'm so glad you're here. In This Trailer  Why Navigating Dementia was created  What you can expect from future episodes  A different way to think about dementia care  How this podcast will help you make sense of what you're experiencingConnect with CarlynFREE Weekly Newsletter, Finding Our Way In Dementia Care ->https://abetterwaydementiacaresolutions.com/page/weekly-sign-up-1?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=trailer_shownotesWebsite -> https://www.abetterwaydementiacaresolutions.comFacebook -> https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562478140551Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/abetterwaydementiacaresolution/LinkedIn -> https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyn-lenfestey-abetterwaydementiacaresolutionsPinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/carlyn0832/YouTube -> https://www.youtube.com/@NavigatingDementia If this sounds like the kind of support you've been looking for, be sure to follow the show so you don't miss an episode. I can't wait to navigate this journey with you.

    A Personal Welcome: There Has to Be a Better Way

Trailer

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Navigating Dementia is a weekly podcast for anyone caring for someone with dementia, family and professional caregivers alike. Host Carlyn Lenfestey, a physical therapist and dementia care specialist with 25 years of clinical experience, uses real stories and everyday moments to show that behavior is never the problem. It's always the signal. Each episode teaches one meaningful insight through her Wheel of Function Framework™, delivered like a conversation over coffee, not a lecture. There is always a better way.

Information

  • Creator
    Carlyn Lenfestey
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Navigating Dementia
  • Show Website
    Navigating Dementia