Dementia caregiving

I

don't know if you're familiar with it, if you've done any caregiving, but it comes with a lot of grief when you're doing dementia caregiving and ambiguous loss.

And part of that is we don't want to let go of the person that we're losing.

So for us, that becomes a barrier that if we don't recognize it or even understand it's going on.

How optimistic are you that the health care system is prepared to meet the coming need?

Well, as I mentioned earlier, our National Institute on Aging, we just released a report this week looking at the state of dementia care in Canada.

And currently, it's not great.

It's quite fragmented and it leaves a lot of people with questions and not necessarily the ready access to support.

So my advice is that we all have to start learning more about this, getting to understand what dementia is, what it's what we can do to prevent or delay it, what we can do to support loved ones who might be living with this disease as well.

And we have to advocate for our governments to start creating better dementia care systems across the country so we don't hear about the care gaps that might exist in terms of getting things like hearing aids and other things.

So there's a lot that needs to be done because right now we also reported that about two-thirds of Canadians who are living with dementia are currently undiagnosed.

So even that number of a million...

That the system was in crisis.

And I want you to tell me how you know the dementia care system is in crisis.

Because I pay attention to the experts.

You know I do.

It's chalk and cheese.

Cancer, cancer and dementia.

Cancer care and dementia care.

Yes.

solely.

So we are the only assisted living community center in Northern Arizona that solely specializes in Alzheimer's and dementia care.

So when families are starting to look at places, typically... all of the other communities in our area, they do have a locked memory care unit.

And so if you think of a long hallway of apartments with a door locking off a section of those apartments, that becomes a memory care unit, right? We are not that.

We are going to have a fascinating conversation, as usual, as we learn from people all around the world at all ages and stages of life.

Stay tuned as we shift our dementia care from crisis to comfort.

Here

we go.

Hi, everyone, and welcome to Alzheimer Speaks.

I'm your host, Lori LeBay, and I'm thrilled that you can join us today.

We're going to be talking about transforming dementia care, utilizing the FISH approach that Sherry Fehrman has developed.

She is a social worker and the founder of Dementia Care Solutions.