Ann grew up with an alcoholic father. He beat her mother and began abusing her when she was twelve years old, and it continued until she left home at sixteen. She’s now 55, her mother recently passed away, and after several years of therapy, she has been trying to develop a relationship with her 85-year-old father. He has Alzheimer’s, and Ann moved in with him to take

Elaine had Alzheimer’s and was in the memory care of the facility where I held my weekly picture communication workshops. Elaine thought she was a teenager and had forgotten she was married with two grown children. She had a crush on one of the other residents and called him her “boyfriend.” Elaine and her boyfriend would often hold hands and walk the hallways giggling and whispering to

Most people in earlier stages of dementia are usually still quite functional and many like to travel. It’s not just an “old person” condition anymore; early-onset dementia is affecting thousands of younger people in their 30’s and 40’s and invariably tourism becomes affected. Unfortunately, the tourism industry is unprepared for the problems a tourist with dementia might experience especially if they are traveling alone or in a

It’s been three days since I posted the idea of an emergency service for persons with dementia living or visiting Costa Rica. Already we have a FB group formed, and its membership of individuals wanting to help is growing every day. I love the phrase it takes a village…not only to raise a child but for all of us to care for each other. If there is

It takes a village to raise a child and it takes a village to care for its elderly or its people with dementia. Yesterday I posted on Facebook how we have had incidents with people who have dementia alone in Costa Rica and in need of assistance. Pleas for help were sent out by their families on different FB sites. It’s when I realized we need some

Personal photos are effective tools for families to communicate and reconnect with loved ones with or without dementia. They trigger memories, exercise the brain, and can emotionally bring you closer. This photo reminiscing can close the gap between the years. My son just sent me this picture of myself; I’d never seen it before and it catapulted me back forty years. It opened a window to my

Written by Gary Joseph LeBlanc, CDCS Director of Dementia Education Dementia Spotlight Foundation We have a dear friend that was asked by Amazon if she would participate in a trial program to see how well their Alexa device can help a person living with dementia. Her opinion? She has nothing but positive things to say about how much the device has helped her manage her daily living.