📰 This Week in Dementia News 📰

Detection, Prevention, and Treatment:

• Is it Normal Aging or Alzheimer’s? (Alzheimer’s San Diego): While mild forgetfulness can be a part of normal aging, it can also signal more serious memory problems, such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer’s disease, or another form of dementia.

• Research Shows A Connection Between Low Vitamin D & Alzheimer's Disease Risk (MindBodyGreen): The research is in: people with low blood levels of vitamin D had a 59% higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than those who had vitamin D levels higher than that.

• Mindfulness May Optimize Dementia Caregiver Interventions (Physician’s Weekly): an approach that integrates mindfulness with support groups or behavioral problem management components could improve well-being in distressed caregivers of people with dementia.

• 'Remarkable' ALS Drug May Also Work on Alzheimer's (Newsweek): A drug originally developed to treat a rare neurological disease that weakens nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord may also hold promise for combating Alzheimer's, according to new research from Illinois's Northwestern University.

Their Stories Are Our Story:

• Man Shares the Initial Sign He Noticed in Wife with Early Onset Dementia (Pulptastic): John and Heather, a couple from Halifax, Canada, launched their YouTube channel after Heather was diagnosed with dementia around her 60th birthday. This article covers that journey, and if you like it you can check out their YouTube channel to follow the path they are on.

• Journey to Diagnosis: Real-Life, Personal Stories of Navigating Cognitive Decline (Being Patient): four video stories from people who are currently living with and navigating a dementia diagnosis. This is an opportunity to hear about the experience of dementia from the only people who truly know what it feels like.

• Recognizing and Responding to Delirium (blog: andhumanslovedstories): personal stories from an experienced nurse about what leads up to a bout of delirium, how delirium is different from usual dementia symptoms, and how to respond.

Video: “Dying Is the Longest Verb” - Alok Vaid-Menon’s meditation on his grandfather’s death

Vaid-Menon’s poem is stunning, and the performance is utterly heartfelt, vulnerable, and genuine. It’s the most touching piece of art addressing dementia that I’ve seen in a long time. The poem and performance are raw, relatable, and real. Incredibly moving.

Caregiver’s Corner: What Learning Greek Taught Me About My Mom’s Unmet Needs

My partner and I are planning a trip to Greece later this year. It’s going to be my first trip to Europe, and I’ve been insufferably excited. I even decided to learn a little Greek on Duolingo.

I learned a lot of words over the 100+ days I studied…and none of them was “bathroom”! I’m imagining myself walking through the cradle of western civilization or standing in the middle of the Parthenon, unable to enjoy the experience because I have no way to find the bathroom and I’ve really, REALLY got to go!

Imagining myself in that situation gives me some insight into how vulnerable I would feel if I couldn’t communicate: suddenly my mom’s agitation makes a lot more sense. If I couldn’t communicate my most basic needs, I would be agitated too.

If you notice your loved one growing agitated, starting to wander, or becoming aggressive, they may have unmet needs that they can’t communicate. Here are my top five: address these first to see if you can satisfy a need that they have but can’t speak.

1. Take them to the restroom.

2. Assess the environment. Are they too cold or hot? Is it too noisy? Are there too many things going on at once?

3. Are they hungry or thirsty?

4. Are they bored? Would an activity help to channel their energy productively?

5. Are they tired? If they need rest, can you create a quiet, comfortable space for that?

These are the five most common “culprits” that people with dementia might not be able to express. If you’d like a free, printable guide on this subject, including extra details, click here to download 5 Strategies for Unmet Needs.

When you’re ready, here’s how elumenEd can help:

Through elumenEd, the parent company of The Dementia Newsletter, I offer the following additional resources:

• Cutting-edge training programs, free guides, and more at www.elumened.com

• If you want to leverage my 20+ years in the senior housing industry with a one-on-one live video consultation, you can book a 45-minute appointment with me for $100.