Rita Jablonski, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, FGSA is a nurse practitioner, researcher, tenured professor, and former family caregiver. Her research and practice involve all aspects of dementia management; she is best known for non-drug strategies to address dementia-related behaviors.
People with dementia wander for a variety of reasons. Many times, the wandering behavior is a reaction to an unrelated event–that is, people with dementia do not simply decide to go on a journey. Some people are at higher risk for wandering than others. Read on for the reasons behind […]
Frontotemporal Dementia & The Jerk Factor When I say “dementia,” most people think “Alzheimer’s Disease.” The truth is that in people under 65, the more common dementia is “frontotemporal dementia” for FTD. FTD refers to a spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases that include behavioral, motor, and/or speech symptoms. The one I am talking […]
Think of “Entering Their Reality” as a gentle and kind approach to delivering truth with dignity
There is a very good reason why people with dementia may seem more irritable or cranky: “laid off” workers!
“My wife is in stage 4 Alzheimer’s. She is in denial about her Alzheimer’s. Should I remind her that she has Alzheimer’s and educate her about the disease?”
The National Institutes of Health just released a paper on the needs of the caregiver “workforce.” Here are some highlights from the report: Today family caregivers provide 80% of the care for persons with dementia. 16 million informal caregivers provide approximately 18 billion hours of unpaid care to persons with […]
How is a nursing home different from an assisted living? What in the world is “Memory Care Facility”? How can I figure out which is best for my loved one? How are they different?
“I’m so distraught over my father. He has a Peg tube in, and hasn’t had any solid food for over 2 months.” So what does one doe when people with dementia cannot eat? Our reader Denise wrote: “I’m so distraught over my father. Has a Peg tube and hasn’t had any […]
The combined indirect and direct care costs associated with FTD averaged $120K annually, compared to the average annual indirect and direct care costs of caregiving for AD, $64K. Flexible work schedules and pre-tax health savings accounts for caregiving expenses are two ideas that would make life better for family caregivers.
This is an important question, and is often a great source of anxiety for caregivers of people with dementia. The answer often depends on the actual circumstances at the time.