Category: Dementia

From Professional to Personal Experience: Moving my Mom

After 20 years of volunteering and working with folks living with dementia, I started to recognize signs in my mom. I knew it was coming. My paternal grandmother and my maternal grandfather both lived with Alzheimer’s disease. It doesn’t make it any easier. My sister and I rallied to help plan her care, organize her […]

How to make the holidays more dementia-friendly and -inclusive

The year-end holidays are here and often include get-togethers with family and friends, lively conversation, good food, gift exchanges, and festive merrymaking. For someone living with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, however, the activities, engagement, and added stimulation can be disorienting. The holidays can also interfere with daily routines, causing stress and confusion. […]

Stories of Connection

The ways we connect with each other contain both small moments and lasting lessons. Together we can celebrate how we build connections through different methods of communication between people living with and without Alzheimer’s dementia. Without the many unique individuals living with dementia, including the three individuals in the stories below, our appreciation for connection […]

Planning for the Future Following an Alzheimer’s Diagnosis

A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia can be difficult. Getting accurate information and dependable guidance and support is essential. Planning for health care, financial, and long-term care decisions brings peace of mind. As Aging Life Care professionals, we focus on clients’ well-being and quality of life. We also understand the value of clients […]

Disclosing a dementia or MCI diagnosis

It might feel scary to tell others if you’ve been diagnosed with dementia or even just mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Start with those you think will be the most supportive. Perhaps close family and friends.

Changing the way people think, act, and talk about dementia

“It feels so isolating.” This is a common refrain I hear when talking to family care partners of persons living with dementia. In surveys, support groups, and personal conversations, spouses, partners, and adult children caring for someone living with dementia express the need for a variety of services, especially for social and emotional supports.

Actor Bruce Willis has Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). What is FTD?

Image courtesy of Allyson Valentine Schrier Last month, our colleague Wendy looked at the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia. One of the types of dementia Wendy listed was Frontotemporal Dementia, or FTD. Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) is not well-known, but it’s been in the news recently. In February, the family of much-beloved actor Bruce Willis announced that […]

What’s the difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s disease?

It’s not unusual to hear the terms dementia and Alzheimer’s used interchangeably, though they are not synonymous; they have different meanings. Dementia is an umbrella term that describes a broad range of symptoms; dementia is a syndrome, not a disease. Dementia is a decline in cognitive function that is typically not reversible.

Making the holidays more inclusive and meaningful for those living with dementia

Many of us look forward to holiday gatherings – getting together with family and friends, sharing lively conversation and good food, exchanging gifts, treats, and merrymaking. But for someone living with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, all the activity, the people, and associated noise can be very unsettling.

The Right to Vote and Cognitive Impairment (updated)

This article was first published July 15, 2022 and updated October 27, 2022 The Midterm elections are just around the corner. The Washington State Voters’ Pamphlet arrived in mailboxes last week. Ballots were mailed October 21. Election Day is Tuesday, November 8, 2022. For information about elections in Washington State, visit the Washington State Secretary […]

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