NEW RELEASE: Caring Through Chaos —Notebook for Dementia Caregivers
Launched at the 2025 Northern Virginia Dementia Care Consortium
We’re thrilled to announce the official launch of our newest book, Caring Through Chaos: Notebook for Dementia Caregivers, co-authored by Barbara J. Huelat and Ruth Shea.
This essential notebook was unveiled today at the 2025 Northern Virginia Dementia Care Consortium, one of the region’s most trusted gatherings for dementia caregivers, professionals, and advocates. We were honored to introduce the book directly to those who need it most.
Caring Through Chaos is designed as a practical, deeply personal tool to help caregivers preserve the story, history, preferences, and personhood of someone living with dementia. It offers gentle structure, guided prompts, and the space to record what truly matters—what comforts, what delights, what soothes, what sparks connection.
Created for both home caregivers and care-facility teams, this notebook helps ensure that every person living with dementia is known, understood, and cared for with dignity.
The Taming the Chaos of Dementia Institute exists to reimagine the way our world responds to dementia. We provide resources and support to caregivers while driving forward collaborative solutions that blend education, design, technology, research, and advocacy. Our goal is a future where those affected by dementia are met with dignity, compassion, and meaningful innovation.
Caring is Our Superpower
Empowering Caregivers
Sparking Innovation
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Founders
At Taming the Chaos of Dementia Institute, we empower caregivers and spark innovation in dementia care. Founded by author and healthcare designer Barbara Huelat and clinical social worker Ruth Shea, our mission is to support caregivers with practical tools, compassionate insight, and human-centered solutions.
​Blending lived experience with professional expertise, we help caregivers find clarity, connection and moments of joy amid the chaos.
Ruth Shea
Barbara Huelat
​Our Resources for Caregivers
​At the Taming the Chaos of Dementia Institute, we offer practical, compassionate tools to support caregivers at every stage of the dementia journey. The Caregiver’s Compass delivers over 100 actionable tips and strategies to reduce stress and improve daily care. Taming the Chaos of Dementia blends personal wisdom and professional insight to help caregivers find clarity, connection, and calm. This Is Me: A Guide to Person-Centered Care is a customizable notebook that captures the life stories, preferences, and values of your loved one— ensuring their identity remains at the heart of their care.
