“I Thought I Would be the One Needing Care” I’m seeing this more and more in the clinic: parents caring for adult children with dementia. The person with dementia is about 50 years of age. The diagnosis may be early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease or frontotemporal lobar degeneration (frontotemporal dementia or primary progressive aphasia). The person with…
Continue reading ➞ Parents Caring for Adult Children with Dementia
I suck at selecting and giving gifts. My family members and friends are probably rolling their eyes as I tackle the topic of best gifts for dementia caregivers. Other organizations have general information about selecting appropriate gifts for persons with dementia. Alzheimers.net, for example, has a terrific one. They recommend tailoring the gift according to the…
Continue reading ➞ What Gifts are Best for Caregivers of Persons with Dementia?
Friends and family feel awkward around people with FTD. This post provides concrete helpful ways to positively interact with persons with FTD.
Sundowning refers to behaviors seen in persons with dementia that usually occur at the end of the day. Many clinicians and caregivers/care partners seem resigned that this will simply happen and that there is nothing that can be done to prevent or manage it. Which is why I hate the term, and prefer to think…
Continue reading ➞ How to Deal with Sundowning: Myths and Management
Hallucinations refer to sights, sounds, and smells that come from inside the brain. Hallucinations are common with Lewy Body Dementia but can happen with any dementia. The person with dementia is seeing, hearing, or smelling stuff that the rest of us are not experiencing. Illusions refer to mis-seeing (misperceiving) objects that ARE real. So how…
Continue reading ➞ How to Tell the Difference Between Hallucinations and Illusions in People with Dementia