Ava S. Butler

Organizational Development Consultant and Leadership Coach

Holiday traditions must change as your loved one’s cognition changes

November 29, 2022
Ava S. Butler

You all know me as an organizational development consultant and leadership coach.

Some of you also know that because of my dear husband’s Parkinson’s and Lewy body Dementia, I am an advocate for those causes and provide advice and support to care partners who are less far in their journey than I am.

The holidays can be difficult in the best of circumstances, and they are especially difficult when you have someone you love who is facing cognitive issues.

I posted this blog on my Dementia for Dessert website, and I hope you find it helpful.

https://www.dementiafordessert.com/holiday-traditions-must-change-as-your-loved-ones-cognition-changes/

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Grieving, Parkinson's disease
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Managing the Change that Nobody Wants

October 6, 2016
Ava S. Butler

I’m an organizational development consultant and I specialize in partnering with business leaders to achieve transformational change. I’ve lead dozens of large scale change projects, most of them moving individuals, teams and organizations to a stronger and better place. I think of change as a positive thing and managing transformational change is my life’s calling.

But not all change is wanted and not all change has a happy ending. My dear husband has Parkinson’s disease and Lewy-body dementia. Its taken over our lives. We fight a battle every day that we will not win. Richard’s ending won’t be fast and Continue reading →

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Implementing Change, Lewy body dementia, Parkinson's disease
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What Richard Sees: Insight into the hallucinations affiliated with Lewy body dementia

February 2, 2016
Ava S. Butler

Lewy body dementia (LBD) is not as well known as Alzheimer’s, but it is the second most common form of dementia, impacting over 1.3 million Americans.

The disease did get a boost in publicity recently when Robin Williams was diagnosed with LBD after his suicide, but far more public information is needed.

Lewy body dementia a progressive neurodegenerative dementia closely associated with Parkinson’s disease. My dear husband, Richard has both.

Persistent and recurring visual hallucinations are often an early symptom of LBD.   This was true for Richard. Not all LBD hallucinations are fear based, but Richard’s were. His ability Continue reading →

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Lewy body dementia, Parkinson's disease
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12 ways my dear husband’s dementia has taught me to be a better consultant

June 21, 2015
Ava S. Butler

I am an organizational development consultant specializing in transformational change. I’m also the wife of my dear Richard. We’ve been happily married for almost 24 years and are deeply in love. But our relationship is a non-traditional one because Richard has Parkinson’s disease and Lewy-Body dementia. In January, he moved into a memory care facility. He’s 63 and I’m 57.

Richard was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2010, but we’re sure he had the disease long before the diagnosis. We were somewhat prepared to take on the physical challenges of Parkinson’s but utterly ill-equipped to deal with the accompanying dementia. Richard’s Continue reading →

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Implementing Change, Transformation Tools
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