Deeply Forgetful and a Whole Person

I started to think of my mother as deeply forgetful, not as an Alzheimer ’s patient.By Bob DeMarcoAlzheimer's Reading RoomI was interviewed by Lori La Bey on Alzheimer's Speaks Radio. I had no real expectation going into the interview. I should have known better.Lori caught me off guard when she asked me right up front to explain my construct of the deeply forgetful.Article -What is the Difference Between Alzheimer ’s and DementiaLater in the day I realized I really couldn't remember what I said. I went back and listened to my own words. I surprised myself while listening.Topic -How to Embrace Reality in Dementia CareI now realized that caregivers are constrained by their own brains. We tend to view a person living with Alzheimer's or a related dementiaas less than a "whole person". This is not true, or even close to being true.Deeply ForgetfulThis is a rough transcript of what I said.I ’ll start by saying,Most Alzheimer's caregivers focus on and sometimes obsess about memory. By this I mean, they use post it notes and whiteboards to help AD patients remember. They say things like, “don’t you remember”, or “you just asked me that”.It is sometimes hard to comprehend that thedeterioration of the right now memory is a given in AD. Right now memory goes first.I ’ll interject here that I believe caregivers should focus onmemoriesnot memory. Music, pictures, and discussions of the way back past are good tools that can enliven the deeply forgetful. Enliven is a key...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - Category: Neurology Tags: activity director alzheimer's alzheimer's care care of dementia patients deeply forgetful dementia care health lifestyle memory care memory care facility nursing home Source Type: blogs