HLTHAGE 2B03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Dementia
19 Dec 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Nov 29, 2016
HLTHAGE 2B03
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Life in the Slow Lane
•Understand she knows who she is, had been a wife, a mother, has extended family, with
dementia and Alzheimers she realizes she is in a twilight zone
•Person identity will slowly erode
•Social identity is also slowly eroding
•We see acuteness of awareness in her life
•Number of important ways of setting dementia off for some time, coping strategies, improve
focus in regards to medication, well educated family, supportive family, outside stimulation,
•Diagnosed in 1998 at age of 54
•Losing old identity and was depressed about it, she realized who she was was going to fade
and she was going to become a new person
•Medication lent more mental stamina, helped short term memory,
•Energizing snack, kept mind fresh and viable, like taking a power nap,
•Speech became more fluent and normal
•Better at paying attention, could continue writing and doing talks and workshops
•She had a slow and measured pace but worked around it so she could remain social identity
self as long as possible
•Changes were accruing on a daily bases, daily state of adjustment and readjustment
•Coping strategies were positive and she was grateful
•She could maintain her own voice and speak to her life and what she was experiencing, this
reduced anxiety and frustration in her life, bring clarity to the situation
•Fight the acceptance, she know she had Alzheimer's, she accepts the situation with good
grace and tries not to worry about the future, has fear and doubts but tries to stay positive in
thinking
•She sees deficiencies that are starting to happen, she sees that she needs to continue
reconciling her old self with her new self
•She could feel depressed and vulnerable, her mental attitude is what trumps it all
•Her family giver her encouragement, spirit faith helps you travel through this, help herself and
maintain resilience
•Medication stretches out her memory, one uses this time to build memories while she still
recognizes family and friends,
•She tells us that she feels most negative early in the morning and late in the evening, given
that and understanding that it gives her the joy during the day
•Recharging person battery with naps, works around the naps her medication
•Maximizing good hours she can enjoy with her life, like having children, give them naps and
give them snacks and give them stimulation that they need to be functioning individuals,
•Nutritional support to help feed the body, exercise is important, she understand not only
socially what needs to be done but also physically
•Volunteers that help her with driving and more dependent on others to facilitate her
•Forgetfulness approaching on her life, it is a problem, she describes it as if something is out
of sight it is out of mind, she needs more help in terms of figuring out how to remember
things,
•Vulnerability, after Alzheimer's is taking over your life, who do you trust to care for you
•We see that crowds caused a problem, if one becomes over stimulated we get burnt out
•Tells us that she will go to the museum or the art gallery, she retains form these outings the
excitement
•Her writing becomes important, she wants to leave a legacy for people with Alzheimers
•She has a computer and uses it for her writing and editing
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