Caregiving Indianapolis

November is Alzheimer’s awareness month.  It is time to catch up with discussions about dementia and redefining dementia.  Dementia is often thought of as simply memory loss and/or a memory disorder.  While memory loss is the “hallmark” of dementia in its early stages, most caregivers treat it as illness and do not think of dementia as fatal. According to Catherine Elton at   time.com, “Experts in the field say dementia is more accurately defined as fatal brain failure: a terminal disease, like cancer, that physically kills patients, not simply a mental ailment that accompanies older age.”  Unlike other terminal diseases, as the older adult with dementia approaches the end of their life, they are often treated aggressively rather than with palliative care.  Read more about what experts are saying in Catherine Elton’s report: Experts Redefine Dementia as a Terminal Disease. 

if you're a caregiver, remember, when caring for an older adult with dementia always ask if the treatments are causing more distress AND if their pain being managed.  Check to see if the older adult has made their wishes clear regarding aggressive treatments, feeding tubes and CPR. Then advocate that their wishes are carried out. As a caregiver, if your parent or loved one is in the early stages of dementia and have not made their wishes clear, now is the time to talk to them and complete their advance directives/living will.  A geriatric care manager can help caregivers and their aging loved ones address these issues.

For more information on treating advanced dementia as a terminal illness requiring palliative care go to Catherine Elton’s report: Experts Redefine Dementia as a Terminal Disease.