I cannot count the times that clients have told me, “My doctor prescribed (we’ll fill in the blank below) and said it would slow the progress of dementia.” Sorry, it’s not so!
There are two categories of drugs approved by the Federal Drug Administration for use for dementia. One type, approved only recently, is a class of drugs that have been shown to reduce the beta-amyloid protein (plaques) in the brain that are thought to be the precursor for Alzheimer’s disease. Continue reading “The misunderstanding of medication!”
Alzheimer’s – What’s in a name?
Many times, I have heard a family member struggling with a parent living with dementia say, “My mother is in denial! If I could only get her to admit she has Alzheimer’s, things could be different!”
This insistence to name the problem is a fruitless search for common ground. The care partner seems to be saying to their loved one, “If you see the situation as I do by admitting you have dementia, then you will start seeing everything as I see it, and you will start listening to me, and you will do what I ask. Then you will stop behaving in troublesome ways because you will realize you have a problem that is the cause of so much stress between us.” Continue reading “Alzheimer’s – What’s in a name?”