Persons with Dementia, Depression and Anxiety
Overview Depression and anxiety symptoms are extremely common in persons with dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). As a result of these symptoms, many people with dementia experience a decrease in their quality of life. Depression and anxiety may lead to disengagement from daily activities, which may further exacerbate memory difficulties. Why is depression common amongst persons with Dementia? Generally, the causes of depression are similar to those without dementia. However, if...
Meals to Help Slow Down Dementia
What to eat, what to eat?: A look at different meals that may carry benefits to slowing cognitive decline for those with dementia Everyday we wake up and one of the first things we do is eat our breakfast. Later on we have some snacks or our lunch, and as the day goes by we eventually make ourselves dinner. We do this because our bodies need energy to keep us going...
What Are The Different Types of Dementia?
This post is the first of many in a series about understanding the various types of dementia and how each one impacts an individual after diagnosis. We acknowledge that there are over 400 different types of dementia, we will be focusing on some of the more common ones as well as some of the not so common dementias that are affecting many people today. In this first post we will...
Tips for helping someone with dementia to shower or bathe
So like many of you, I enjoy my shower every day. My mother also enjoyed her bath on a regular basis. As the dementia set in, she was more and more hesitant to take her bath and even wash her hair which she used to do in the kitchen sink. I never really thought about that too much, but seems odd to do that there, but that is not what...
Dementia: What people lose and what they keep
If I knew then what I know now with regards to dementia, I think the relationship I had with my mother would have been very different. I had very limited information on the disease, and I was busy trying to run another company at the time. I was unaware of all the changes my mother was going through. As an example, I really did not know why she was not...
Wandering and getting lost
Dementia Behaviour: Wandering This is the final installment on the most common behaviours we see when caring for a loved one with dementia. As we know the disease can cause us to lose our ability to recognise familiar faces and places. People with dementia can wander and get lost at any stage of the disease. Sixty percent of those with Alzheimer’s wander at some point. Some of us want to go...
Tips for dealing with a parent diagnosed with Dementia
You have just been told that your parent has dementia. Processing the fact of a parent being diagnosed with dementia is one thing. Not only does it have an impact on those who are diagnosed, but it impacts all of those who are around them. If you’re unsure how to deal with a parent who has dementia, you are not alone. Most families struggle with daily challenges such as dealing...
Home Activities to Try with a Loved One Suffering from Dementia
Let’s get one thing straight, caring for someone with dementia is definitely a difficult task. It requires constant learning for you to keep pace with the changes your loved one is facing every day. Part of this learning experience requires caregivers to find interactive ways to keep their loved ones’ days and minds full of positive activity. A successful strategy to help improve this is to approach it with less...