We have just finished our annual fund-raising walk for Dementia Education, Inc., a Citrus County-based nonprofit that supports families living with dementia. As always, I came away from this event in a state of gratitude and wonder! Continue reading “The good will of dementia!“
PTSD, dementia, and traumatic brain injury!
“PTSD” means “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.” It is not a disease; it is a syndrome, a collection of symptoms and behaviors that can emerge after we experience an especially traumatic or disturbing event. This can be something that happens to us, or simply something disturbing that we witness. Continue reading “PTSD, dementia, and traumatic brain injury!“
It’s Conference Time!
Back around 2012, I had just earned my license to become an assisted living and memory care administrator, and my partner Ed and I were attending a lot of conferences to learn as much as we could about Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of dementia. We invariably came away from these events frustrated and disappointed. We heard a lot of researchers talking about plaques and tangles and Tau protein and the “stages” of Alzheimer’s, and on and on, but we heard nothing that could be remotely useful to families and care partners who were in the actual journey of dementia. Continue reading “It’s Conference Time!“
What about alcohol use?
In tackling the topic of alcohol use and dementia, I am going to begin with a “myth-buster” statement based on the landmark study conducted in England and published in The Lancet in August, 2018, which concluded that there is “no safe level of alcohol consumption.” The pervasive belief that alcohol use in moderation is not harmful, and can even have health benefits. is, bluntly stated, alcohol user and alcohol industry propaganda. Continue reading “What about alcohol use?“
No time for a sabbatical
Seven years ago, the Citrus County Chronicle asked if we might submit a monthly column about Alzheimer’s and dementia. We were thrilled and honored to be offered this opportunity. We took on this task, and have never missed a month. This month’s is our 85th column.
In academia, it is customary after seven years of hard work to take a year off. We call this a “sabbatical,” deriving from the Hebrew term sabbat, meaning “to rest.” Oh, I wish it were possible! Continue reading “No time for a sabbatical“
Dementia and pain
Some years ago, a woman asked me to check on her sister in a dementia care facility to evaluate how she was being treated. As I approached her room, I heard a tremendous commotion, and when I walked in I saw three staff members struggling with a woman who surely didn’t weigh more than 120 pounds. All three of them were on top of her, trying to hold her down, and she was struggling and screaming bloody murder! The confusion was amplified by all three of the staff shouting uncoordinated instructions at her. Continue reading “Dementia and pain“
Dementia and the twin tsunamis!
It is estimated that seven million Americans 65 and older currently have some form of dementia. This population is expected to grow to nine million by 2030, and to 15 million by 2050. This trend is not being driven by the “spread” of a disease; it is being driven by changes in our population. Americans are aging, thanks to an event in our history known as the “Baby Boom.” Continue reading “Dementia and the twin tsunamis!“
Fatigue a predictable response to dementia!
While counseling families, or in my support groups, I hear it time and again: “Why does my loved one with dementia sleep so much?” If we understand the nature of brain change caused by dementia, the need for more rest is predictable and logical. Continue reading “Fatigue a predictable response to dementia!“
Sometimes we just need magic!
One of the problems with dementia care is that we go into it with a negative attitude. This is understandable. It is terrible disease through which those afflicted slowly lose almost everything they have; physically, mentally, and emotionally. This puts us into a mindset dominated by a focus on loss. We focus on what they CAN’T do, and we even design care and care facilities around what they CAN’T do . . . or soon won’t be able to do. Continue reading “Sometimes we just need magic!“