Dear ‘Others’: An Unhinged Alzheimer’s Caregiver Explains Her Boundaries
An unfiltered Alzheimer’s caregiver draws the line with “the others.” Read how one unpaid, exhausted Dazey protects her person’s peace at all costs.
Alzheimer’s Caregiver Boundaries: How to Protect Her Peace (When “The Others” Won’t)
"Alzheimer’s broke her memory, not her feelings. The real damage comes from late‑night calls, ego, and chaos. This is the unfiltered rulebook for caregivers who are done apologizing for setting hard boundaries to protect her Bubble."
The Caregiver Rulebook, Part Three: Burnout, Brick Walls, and Going Low‑Contact (When Loving Them Still Isn’t Enough)
Dazey’s Diary is an unfiltered Alzheimer’s caregiver rulebook, memoir, and survival guide — for the burned‑out “one in charge” and the “I just want to help” crowd. In Parts 1–3, I break down what real help looks like, why structure and routine are mercy (not control), and how burnout, brick‑wall boundaries, and low‑contact become necessary when people choose chaos over care. If you’ve ever been told you’re “too much” for protecting a fragile brain, you’re in the right place.
The Caregiver Rulebook, Part Two: Why Structure Isn’t Control — It’s Mercy
A sharp, unfiltered guide for friends and family of dementia patients: what real help looks like, why surprise visits and vague offers backfire, and how to respect the caregiver’s boundaries so you protect her brain instead of your feelings.
The Caregiver Rulebook: How to Actually Help (Without Making It Worse)
You say you “just want to help” — but are you actually making things harder for the caregiver holding everything together with tape, coffee, and sheer will? In this Dazey’s Diary entry, I spell out exactly what real help looks like in Alzheimer’s care… and what absolutely does not.
Don’t Push My Boundaries: Unfiltered Alzheimer’s Caregiver 101
Unfiltered Alzheimer’s caregiver memoir on boundaries, burnout, and “the others” who don’t show up. Real talk from a 24/7 in‑home caregiver on what not to allow — late‑night calls, entitlement, and broken promises — and how to protect your person and your own sanity.
Unfiltered Alzheimer’s Caregiver Survival: Boundaries & Burnout
Caregiving isn’t just sweet moments and soft-focus memories — it’s 3 a.m. phone calls, brick-wall boundaries, and trying not to shatter while everyone else judges from the sidelines. In this Dazey’s Diary entry, I pull back the curtain on what it really costs to be the one holding it all together when your loved one and “the others” keep sucking the nice out. You’ll get survival tips on protecting your sanity, setting rules like a one-woman care facility, and making sure you don’t disappear in the process. Read this if you’re ready to stop auditioning for “Nice Caregiver of the Year” and start actually surviving this thing.
The Sink Stopper: Small Changes, Big Emotional Cost, Part 2
Sometimes the hardest caregiving choices are the smallest ones—the missing sink stopper, the door alarm, the labels on the drawers. If you’ve ever made a change that upset the person you care for just to keep them safe, you’re not overreacting; you’re adapting.
Dazey’s Diary: Alzheimer’s Caregiver Memoir & Hot Tips
My story is not unique; it just has a more ‘in a glasshouse’ vibe for those who don’t know and make assumptions, while those who do know have opinions on what I could have done differently to make their lives better and more enjoyable. The outside world doesn’t think the way I do. I’m detailed in my approach because I’ve had years of experience before memory issues were diagnosed. I have ridden the waves of dysfunction for decades amid personal discontent—experiencing a “Do as I say, yes ma’am” vibe.
I share for two purposes. One is personal, the other is for the caregivers who feel alone, who have all this going on, and no one to understand. I understand more than I share, I see what others do not, I know the challenges and the triumphs, and I hope you know you matter. Even when the outside world doesn’t help you feel worthy, heard, valued, or god forbid, they one day offer the only help that would matter to the brilliant minds of the Alzheimer’s variety in the journey you are living in. Know that when it gets hard, there is always someone who can relate. Our journeys are different; everyone who knows knows. #iykykyk
Yes Ma’am, No Sass: How Mable Taught Me to Set Caregiving Boundaries
Dazey’s Diary Origin Story.
Read the origin story of Dazey’s Diary, a brutally honest Alzheimer’s caregiver memoir about burnout, memory care, family dysfunction, and finding a lifeline online.
This Shit Is Bananas, Part Five: What If Caregivers Didn’t Have to Shatter to Be Taken Seriously?
This Shit Is Bananas is my unfiltered field report from inside 24/7 Alzheimer’s care—no pastel platitudes, no “she seemed fine when I saw her” denial. From the first shock of the Alzheimer’s bubble to the gaslighting, blowback, burnout, and the way “strong” caregivers disappear in plain sight, this series names what’s really happening behind closed doors—and what spectators are doing (or not doing) that makes it worse. If you’ve ever wondered what it actually costs to hold someone’s whole reality together while everyone else watches the highlight reel, start here.
Inside the Alzheimer’s Bubble no one warned us about
This Shit Is Bananas is my unfiltered field report from inside 24/7 Alzheimer’s care—no pastel platitudes, no “she seemed fine when I saw her” denial. From the first shock of the Alzheimer’s bubble to the gaslighting, blowback, burnout, and the way “strong” caregivers disappear in plain sight, this series names what’s really happening behind closed doors—and what spectators are doing (or not doing) that makes it worse. If you’ve ever wondered what it actually costs to hold someone’s whole reality together while everyone else watches the highlight reel, start here.
The Alzheimer’s Bubble No One Prepared Us For
This Shit Is Bananas is my unfiltered field report from inside 24/7 Alzheimer’s care—no pastel platitudes, no “she seemed fine when I saw her” denial. From the first shock of the Alzheimer’s bubble to the gaslighting, blowback, burnout, and the way “strong” caregivers disappear in plain sight, this series names what’s really happening behind closed doors—and what spectators are doing (or not doing) that makes it worse. If you’ve ever wondered what it actually costs to hold someone’s whole reality together while everyone else watches the highlight reel, start here.
The Alzheimer’s Bubble No One Prepared Us For
Part One is the tour inside the Bubble—the raw, behind‑closed‑doors reality of 24/7 Alzheimer’s care. Part Two is what happens when that Bubble crashes into everyone else’s opinions, comfort levels, and denial. Read them together if you want the whole story, not just the highlight reel spectators get to see.
The Alzheimer’s Bubble: Inside the Life No One Prepared Us For
This Shit Is Bananas is my unfiltered field report from inside 24/7 Alzheimer’s care—no pastel platitudes, no “she seemed fine when I saw her” denial. From the first shock of the Alzheimer’s bubble to the gaslighting, blowback, burnout, and the way “strong” caregivers disappear in plain sight, this series names what’s really happening behind closed doors—and what spectators are doing (or not doing) that makes it worse. If you’ve ever wondered what it actually costs to hold someone’s whole reality together while everyone else watches the highlight reel, start here.
Caregiver, Not Concierge: Guarding Peace in an Alzheimer’s Storm
An unfiltered Alzheimer’s caregiver diary about guilt, boundaries, and guarding a loved one’s peace—not running a concierge desk.
Not Everything Is As It Seems: Caregiving Behind Closed Doors
Advice from nine years of experience: Make decisions and stick to your boundaries. When the outside world interferes with your primary goals of safety and well-being, be decisive and direct—honest and blunt. Find the solutions that best support the journey you are on, and remain firm in your singular goal: peace and kindness for the one in need.
Memory Care Survival Guide, Part 1: Small Shifts That Make Hard Days Easier
Caring for someone with memory loss can feel like living inside constant chaos. Plans change, emotions swing, and you’re never quite sure what’s coming next. This gentle, practical guide offers simple ways to create small routines, lighten daily tasks, soothe tense moments, and protect your own energy as a memory care caregiver.
Spicy Alzheimer’s Spectator Checklist: Survival Guide for Burned‑Out Caregivers
Burned out from Alzheimer’s caregiving while an unsupportive family judges from the sidelines? Use this spicy spectator checklist, practical scripts, and non‑negotiable boundaries to spot who’s truly on your team, protect your loved one’s safety, and guard your own nervous system.
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