A Note from Jennifer Muskat, Co-Founder
We touched on this in our last issue, and it's a topic that deserves more than a mention: resistance to care. It's what nearly every family runs into, again and again, when someone you love who is living with dementia needs help and won't accept it.
There's a reason for it, and it's not stubbornness. It's called anosognosia, a symptom of dementia that affects the part of the brain responsible for self-awareness. Research suggests it affects as many as 80% of people living with Alzheimer's, which means most of the families we meet are dealing with it, often without a name for what they're experiencing. Your client or loved one isn't refusing to see the truth. In most cases, they genuinely can't.
This month, we're doing a deep dive into what anosognosia is, why it explains so much of what families experience, and how we work with it, creatively and thoughtfully, to introduce care in a way that feels meaningful and acceptable to the person receiving it, not imposed on them.
Below, you'll find the resource we're sharing this issue: Breakthrough: The Full Bloom Method for Overcoming Resistance to Care, a new booklet we developed to help you introduce care to someone who doesn't believe they need it. It walks through why the usual approach doesn't work, and what to try instead, so you have a place to start the next time you're confronted with this challenge.
Jennifer Muskat
Co-Founder & Chief Client Officer, Full Bloom Memory Care
Understanding Anosognosia: The Condition Behind "I'm Fine!"
The word itself isn't new. Anosognosia comes from the Greek for "without knowledge of disease," first used in 1914 by neurologist Joseph Babinski to describe patients who couldn't recognize paralysis on one side of their own body. Decades later, researchers found the same phenomenon in dementia: people unable to perceive their own memory loss or decline, no matter how apparent it was to everyone around them.
Self-awareness depends on specific brain networks, particularly regions responsible for monitoring our own performance and comparing it to reality. In Alzheimer's and related dementias, those same networks are often among the first affected by disease. This isn't a psychological defense. It's physical: the brain's built-in ability to notice its own decline is damaged along with everything else.
Once you understand anosognosia as neurological rather than emotional, the question changes. It's no longer "How do I get them to see this?" It becomes "How do I meet them where they actually are?" That shift is where real progress starts, and it's exactly where we pick up next.
Breakthrough: The Full Bloom Method for Overcoming Resistance to Care
Our latest booklet walks you through our three-phase approach to helping a loved one accept the support they need, from finding the right caregiver match to building trust through therapeutic storytelling. Real stories from families we've worked with show exactly how it comes together.
A New Partnership: Full Bloom Memory Care & Dementia Reality
Imagine seeing through the eyes of someone living with dementia: the frustration of a simple task suddenly turned confusing, the disorientation of a room that no longer feels familiar. Now imagine seeing through the eyes of their caregiver, and watching, in real time, the difference the right approach can make.
That's the experience behind Dementia Reality, the first virtual reality, role-specific training tool built to teach empathy rather than just information. We're proud to announce a new partnership with Dementia Reality, developed in collaboration with CJE Elderwerks, and to be the first dementia-specific care agency to put it to broad use across our team.
What this means for the families we serve:
- Every Memory Care Partner (MCP) experiences both perspectives, the person receiving care and the person providing it, leading to greater empathy and understanding.
- Training continues with ongoing sessions built into each MCP's first year and beyond.
- Families are welcome to experience it too. It's one more way we help you build the same awareness and empathy our team relies on every day.
Dementia Reality doesn't replace the relationships at the heart of the Full Bloom Approach. It deepens them, giving our team a felt understanding of what our clients are experiencing.
September Community Events
An Afternoon of Style: The Autumn Social
Tuesday, September 2nd, 1:00pm - 4:00pm
J. McLaughlin, 261 Market Square, Lake Forest, IL 60045
We're proud to partner with J. McLaughlin again for "An Afternoon of Style: The Autumn Social," hosted by our Co-Founder Jennifer Muskat. Join us for an afternoon of sips and shopping. 10% of sales will benefit the Alzheimer's Association North Shore Walk to End Alzheimer's.
Community support like this helps fund research, care, and support for families navigating Alzheimer's and dementia. We hope to see familiar faces and new friends there!
Geneva Foundation 2026 Golf Classic
Monday, September 14th, registration starts at 11:00am
Northmoor Country Club, 820 Edgewood Road, Highland Park, IL 60035
Full Bloom is honored to sponsor The Geneva Foundation's 27th Annual Golf Classic at Northmoor Country Club on Monday, September 14th, hosted by David Ascher. The Foundation's work supporting financially vulnerable older adults reflects a mission close to our own, and we're grateful to support this special event.
2026 North Shore Walk to End Alzheimer's
Saturday, September 19th, 9:00am - 12:00pm
Gallery Park, 2001 Patriot Blvd., Glenview, IL 60026
Full Bloom is proud to sponsor the 2026 Walk to End Alzheimer's – North Shore, IL, taking place Saturday, September 19th at Gallery Park in Glenview. Every step raises funds for care, support, and research, and we're honored to stand alongside the families and community we serve.
Navigating Cognitive Change: Planning, Care and Support for the Road Ahead
Tuesday, September 29th, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Dickinson Hall, 100 E Old Mill Road, Lake Forest, IL 60045
Our Co-Founder, Jennifer Muskat, is joining a panel of local professionals for a program built around one family's story, following the questions that come up again and again when someone you love is experiencing cognitive change: caregiving support, resistance to care, caregiver burnout, and the legal, financial, and living decisions that follow.
Jennifer Muskat will be speaking alongside Debbie Feldman of Debra D. Feldman & Associates (Aging Life Care Management), Mike Adams of Edward Jones (Financial Planning), Mallory Moreno of Chuhak Tecson (Elder Law), and John Janco and Andrea Atteo of Lake Forest Place (Assisted Living and Memory Support).
From Our Blog
Why Your Loved One Is Never Going to Agree to Care
This blog post goes deeper on a range of resistance-related topics: anosognosia, the legal realities families face when a loved one is still competent to make their own decisions, and how our incremental, relationship-first model compares to a facility-based approach.
Learn more about our unique approach to in-home memory care, or call us at 847-407-1450 to see how we can help.
