Dr. Elaine Eshbaugh is a professor of Gerontology and Family Studies and has coordinated the Gerontology program at the University of Northern Iowa since 2007. She earned her MS and PhD from Iowa State University.
She founded UNI’s Dementia Simulation House in 2022 and now serves as its director.
She frequently speaks about dementia and enjoys training groups to be more dementia-friendly. She is active with the Dementia Friendly Iowa program and has created her own curricula for advanced dementia training in sectors such as healthcare, retail, corporate, social work, and family caregivers.
She has been published in research journals such as the Journal of Community Health Nursing, Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, and the Journal of Community Psychology. Dr. Eshbaugh has more than 30 research publications in empirical journals and has presented at regional, national, and international research conferences.
She teaches courses such as Families, Alzheimer’s & Related Dementias, Research Methods, Family Relationships, and Psychology of Aging. She has collaborated and consulted with various healthcare organizations, social service agencies, continuing care communities, adult day services, and hospices.
She lives in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and enjoys documentaries, teaching indoor cycling classes, hanging out with dogs of all sizes, and students who bring cookies to her office. Her preferred wine is Reisling, and she’s allergic to reds. She likes to travel, but mostly so she can criticize hotel carpet as not dementia-friendly.
She has some VERY limited openings for consulting for businesses, organizations, and families. You can reach her at dreshbaugh@gmail.com.
When Dementia Knocks 
Good morning,
My wife is living with Alzheimer’s, and I am her caregiver. We will both be 70 in the fall. She was diagnosed in 2017. She continues to live at home and is functioning reasonably well at this point. Her geriatrician added Memantine to her medication in February. It has made a difference in that it slowed the progression of her symptoms. Prior to that, she was declining rapidly. I discovered your blog one day as I was searching for information on the Internet. I have found your blog to be informative, helpful, and comforting. I most definitely would be interested in any Zoom sessions you might schedule. Like most people, my interests are driven by our own individual circumstances, so I would be particularly interested in how caregiving changes through the stages of the disease and how to adapt and secure help as those changes occur. That said, I would watch any session you make available. Thank you for everything you do in behalf of people who have dementia.
LikeLike
thanks for your article on ‘helpful tips from others which are not so helpful’! I have received many such tips and they can be annoying. My Mum has had Alzheimer’s for 4 years and is now in a nursing home. She has the emotional kind where she cries at the drop of a hat, which is very sad and hard to deal with. Cannabis is legal in Canada so we asked the doctor to prescribe Cannabis oil to see if it would make a difference. This does not contain THC so she does not get high. They give her a small dose each morning at 8:00 a.m and the difference has been quite astonishing. She is calm, often smiling and the other day actually started singing (not well mind you, but still). i think this should be explored for dementia patients as we are pleased with the results for Mum. It’s early days (10days now) so we shall see.
LikeLike
Yes. We have no real quality research on how CBD might be able to improve quality of life for people living with dementia. I used to be hesitant to state an opinion publicly on this, but at this point I’ve come around and will certainly say CBD is promising—but we need real research studies so we can recommend the optimal ways to use it for symptoms! Glad it’s helped your mum!
LikeLike
Thanks a lot for the article. I found it very informative. My husband had been diagnosed with frontal lobe dementia and is now in a nursing home. He had dramatic change in behaviour,difficulty swallowing and gets emotional easily. I feel so guilty of putting him in the home .
LikeLike
Stop with the guilt! Almost all people with FTD will be in a nursing home as it progresses—-in many cases it’s unrealistic to think home caregiving is an option. You made the right call.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your blog. My mom had Alzheimer’s disease and just recently I have started my own blog called Reflections of Love about my journey with my mom. I wanted to try and help others who face this and it helps me also as I share my experiences ! You can find it at http://www.alwaysamomcom.wordpress.com ! Thank you.
LikeLike
Loved your article and wondered if you may have a story to share for my book or know anyone who might
Regards Jo
LikeLike
Thank you once again this time to follow my blog. Hope you enjoy it 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you, Dr. Elaine, on behalf of Daylight Tune Ministry to follow our ministry blog. May our poetry bless your hearts and minds 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a great blog! I am truly honoured that you visited mine too:)
LikeLike
HI, Elizabeth. Thanks so much for the follow. I have just finished reading your Welcome. Thanks for that, too. What a brilliant experience for a child to grow up with those experiences. Having experienced time with my aunt and mother who had Alzheimer’s and dementia, I can understand your childhood perfectly. I’m glad you found such joy in it as that clearly helped you decide your future. I look forward to futrher visits to Dementialand.
LikeLike