Guest Article: Dementia Awareness
Creating Dementia Friendly Communities
By Frances Salles, Director of Development at the Memory Care Alliance
In an ideal world we would all live in dementia-friendly communities. Our villages, towns, or cities would be informed, safe and respectful of individuals living with dementia as well as their families and caregivers. There would be plenty of supportive options that help people maintain quality of life as the disease progresses.
Sadly, most people when they or a loved one develops dementia, soon realize that our communities are far from dementia-friendly. As symptoms become more obvious people can feel embarrassed, ashamed, intimidated, or just plain exhausted by being out and about and so they start staying home. The good news is we can all play a part in making our communities more dementia-friendly with some basic awareness.
One important aspect of awareness is understanding the difference between normal aging and Alzheimer’s Disease/dementia. It’s no secret that as we age, we tend to forget things more regularly: where we put our keys or glasses, people’s names, or what we went into a room for. These classic so called ‘senior moments’ are commonplace and nothing to worry about. So, when should we start being concerned that something more, some kind of cognitive decline is happening?
Here are 5 differences to look out for, unsurprisingly they are often easier to spot in others than in ourselves.
Normal Aging:
Memory loss
Sometimes forgetting names or appointments but remembering them later.
Needing technical help
Occasional help with computer settings or recording TV shows.
Misplacing things
Misplacing something but retracing your steps to find it.
Confusion with time or place
Forgetting the day of the week but remembering it later.
Changing vision
Difficulty reading because the letters are too small, or poor vision from cataracts.
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Early Signs & Symptoms:
Memory loss
Memory loss that disrupts daily life. Repeating something with no sense that you said it before.
Needing technical help
Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, work or at leisure.
Misplacing things
Misplacing something and losing your ability to retrace steps.
Confusion with time or place
Using a newspaper to keep track of days.
Changing vision
Trouble understanding visual images: what they are or what they mean.
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With normal aging we tend to have occasional gaps of memory or focus, many of which we later remember or understand. With the early stages of dementia we are looking for patterns and changes of behavior; occasional gaps becoming regular or lasting. If this is happening to you or someone you love, speak to your primary health care provider. There are diagnostic tests that can be done that will either put your mind at ease or set you on the path towards early diagnosis and support.
If you are interested in learning more about different types of dementia, early symptoms, how to communicate with people with dementia, and what kind of everyday actions build dementia-friendly communities, please contact the Memory Care Alliance and ask about Dementia Friends in your area: 505-310-9752 or admin@thememorycarealliance.org.
If you are interested in training as a volunteer Dementia Champion to deliver simple, structured awareness session, please email Frances Salles: development@thememorycarealliance.org.
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