Category: dementia

They Are Glad They Caught It Early: Am I?

An essay by Richard Taylor, Ph.D. I have talked with dozens of people in their 30s and 40s who have been diagnosed with early-onset (defined as anyone under the age 65 who is diagnosed), early-stage (the first of a three-stage description of the disease) Alzheimer’s disease. I was 58 when I was officially diagnosed. After hearing the diagnosis, I cried every day for three weeks. My neurologist told me that 95% of the people he diagnoses with Alzheimer’s are not ever tested. The patients, most of whom are in their mid-to-late 70s, would not be able…

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30 Activities to Do in 30 Seconds or Less

Planned activities do not happen all day long. Individuals with the ability to think through how to spend their time can initiate being with others or spending time alone. Persons with dementia often cannot do this. They need help—not only in structured activity—but also in relational interactions throughout the day. These 30 simple, unstructured interactions are not on the activity calendar, but they are probably the most important of the ways that we interact with persons with dementia. Greet the person by name Make eye contact and smile Shake hands Ask someone…

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What is Spaced Retrieval?

Learn how this proven memory-training strategy works: Read the book! Spaced Retrieval Step by Step An Evidence-Based Memory Intervention By Jeanette Benigas, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Jennifer Brush, M.A., CCC-SLP, and Gail Elliot, BASc, M.A. Copyright © 2016 by Health Professions Press, Inc. Help your clients with memory loss remember important information or actions with the proven memory training strategy of spaced retrieval (SR). Learn more…

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What Is It Like to Have Alzheimer’s Disease?

Retired psychologist Richard Taylor, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at age 58. What is it like to drive your car from Houston to Anchorage? The answer depends on many things: the type of care you will drive, the age of the car, how well you maintained it, where you are in your trip, if others are helping you with the drive, if you have accepted the fact you must drive to Anchorage, whether or not you are afraid of arriving in Anchorage. What is it like to have Alzheimer’s? This, too, depends on many things: Do you have an existing group…

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Q&A with Lydia Burdick, author of ‘The Sunshine on My Face’

10 years ago you wrote the first book in the Two-Lap® Series, The Sunshine on My Face. How did you develop the idea for such a unique book? My mother had mid- to late-stage dementia, and I was feeling frustrated during my visits with her. She would basically sit in the den, have something to eat and drink, and watch TV. Mom wasn’t speaking or smiling. We were definitely not doing anything together that brought happiness to either one of us during our visits. One visit, I casually gave my mother a magazine to look at.

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It’s Time to Revolutionize Elder Care

Dr. Al Power, award-winning author and internationally renowned geriatrician, opened the 2016 Eden Alternative International Conference with his keynote address focusing on the conference theme: It’s about time. Always an eloquent speaker, Al presented the audience with four points, all prefaced with, “It’s about time we…” Groundbreaking and possibly even controversial, the ideas presented here are entirely person-directed (the absolute core of culture change). Dr. Power presents his ideas with examples of model communities who adopted these practices—across the board, there was an increase in improved lives of elders in dementia care facilities. The…

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