Did you ever ask your loved one living with Dementia where they went to first grade?

I did and much to my surprise my mother answered without hesitation - Saint Monica's.I had this conversation with my mother in 2010. To put this in context, Dotty first attended Saint Monica's in 1922. At the time of the conversation she was 93 years old; and, in the moderate to severe stage of Alzheimer's.To learn more about this episode go to this article -I Had to Remind Myself - My Mom Was Deeply Forgetful- and look for the story about half way down the page.Solutions to challenges facing caregiversByBob DeMarcoAlzheimer's Reading RoomI'm writing this article because I have been asked several times recently -How do you talk to a person living with Alzheimer'sLesson #1 - Get comfortableI always suggest sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. You should turn your chair so that you are facing the person living with dementia. In other words, not at the other end of the table but adjacent if possible.Start with a smile and then go with the flow.How the Smile is the Most Powerful Communication of Them All in Dementia CareLesson #2 - Don't be afraid to ask a questionWhen you ask your question make sure it is about something that happened long before the person was diagnosed.For example, my mother's middle name is Olive. So one day I asked my mom, what is your middle name?She responded, Olive dummy. I laughed. I continued, "so you were named after Aunt Olive?" Mom said, yes.I then proceeded to talk about Aunt Olive, and along the way I asked, what did you and Aunt Oliv...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - Category: Neurology Tags: alzheimers awareness caregiving deeply forgetful don't be afraid lesson learned living with dementia love dementia memory Source Type: blogs