Memory Care with Teresa Youngstrom

Memory Care with Teresa Youngstrom

di Teresa Youngstrom

Educazione Salute & Benessere

Stagione 1

Dementia Care. How to Keep the Peace

Hello Care Partners, Caring for a loved one with memory loss can be one of the most difficult tasks you will face in your life. We usually haven't been trained for this type of care and frequently find ourselves arguing and fighting about things that really shouldn't matter but they seem to escalate into situations that can soon damage our relationship. Thankfully there are more techniques now on how to keep the peace with a loved one struggling with dementia and we will share some here today. Keep in mind that maintaining a great relationship with this person is a priority. If they lose trust in us they may never want to even be in our presence and this is a very sad place to be in. We need to join them on the journey not as their boss or superior but as their partner in life on the same team. Can we make them feel like we are figuring things out together? I vote yes. Avoid making the mistake of taking everything from them and insisting on doing it yourself because they are too slow. Ouch! That won't win you any points and it sure won't help grow this relationship. Try to make them feel like you are just as forgetful or have the same challenge figuring out things like the new remote for the TV. You might see how you can provide tools to help them remember. For example, get a large calendar or provide notes to remind them to take their medication. There is a season where this will work and then we will help in different ways when they decline. Always keep in mind that they tend to remember how you make them feel. They rarely remember every word you use but frequently remember how you make them feel. With this in mind let's avoid rushing, correcting and over explaining and see what we can do to bring them joy in the moment. Share a compliment or a story from the past where they were awarded or successful! One more suggestion is to not play good cop/bad cop with individuals struggling with memory loss when it is time to implement hard choices. What if we blamed a 3rd party like the doctor for not being able to drive or the insurance company for requiring home care. We can still validate their frustration arm in arm on the journey and let our tone and body language reaffirm that we are still on their team. Make a choice to be part of the solution not part of the problem!! You Got This! We appreciate you watching our podcast and have a gift of Bonus Page 2 Safety with Memory Loss which can be found by using the link below. Please Like, Share and Subscribe to us on all platforms: https://open.spotify.com/show/78w36us... This is a gift for you! https://www.teresayoungstrom.com/bonus Teresa

Neurodegenerative Diseases

Hello Care Partners, The brain is an amazing and very complex part of the human central nervous system which also includes the spinal cord. It controls thinking, memory, language, hearing, learning, vision, balance and even our breathing and heart rate. It is hard to imagine all that the brain controls and monitors until something starts to malfunction. Neurodegenerative Disease like Dementia is an umbrella term for the huge range disorders which primarily affect the neurons or brain cells. There is so much still to learn about how the brain works and can it replace or repair damaged neurons or not. Some popular examples of Neurodegenerative diseases include Alzheimer's, Parkinson's etc. Symptoms of these diseases are many and some you may have experienced, but they can also be indicative of other disorders. Let's compare the symptoms of some of the more popular diseases: Alzheimer's, Huntington's, Parkinson's and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Some symptoms overlap yet others are specific to certain areas of the brain experiencing damage due to disease. When we dig a little deeper into the warning signs, the lists are long because people are unique and can be very different physically, culturally, and involving a variety of comorbidities. This complicates the ability to find an accurate diagnosis and sometimes our loved one will not tolerate further testing. Then we do not and should not force this and frequently end up with the goal of comfort care and symptom management since we are unable to specifically diagnose our person. When we compare and contrast Alzheimer's vs Parkinson's we can immediately see that Alzheimer's frequently starts with cognitive decline and Parkinson's frequently starts with physical challenges. This is interesting but confirms that with different areas of the brain declining, symptoms can be very different. With Alzheimer's we see challenges with the hippocampus which leads to short term memory loss and is diagnosed with the presence of plaques and tangles. Parkinson's problems appear to stem from the substantia nigra which is a part of the basal ganglia that has a huge role in movement in our bodies. When dopamine is not produced a long list of problems can occur, one of which is trouble with movement and muscle tone. This is a very simple explanation to a couple of very complex diseases, but will suffice for our short lesson today. Ultimately our job is to love these individuals along on their journey with brain failure and make sure we care for ourselves too along the way! I know you GOT THIS and we are here to help. This is a gift for you! https://www.teresayoungstrom.com/bonus Please Like, Share and Subscribe to us on all platforms: https://open.spotify.com/show/78w36us... Teresa

Bizarre Activities You Might See With Dementia

Hello Care Partners, There are so many examples of interesting to very bizarre activities I have seen over the years. Today I will share a few of these examples with the hope of letting you relax and hit the pause button when it happens to you. Sometimes they are hoarding and hiding items with the hopes of making sense of it later or maybe paranoia has set in and they feel the need to block the doors or make a plan to escape. The important thing to remember is that your situation with your loved one or the person you care for may be different but frequently we can still accept and agree or clean up afterwards to avoid confrontations or corrections which can damage the relationship. The relationship is still so very important, and my advice is to make a plan to bring in help before the need is critical. Don’t forget to Like, Share and Subscribe to our podcast and take advantage of our September bonus page. This is a gift for you! https://www.teresayoungstrom.com/bonus Please subscribe to us on all platforms: https://open.spotify.com/show/78w36us... You Got This, Teresa

Signs and Symptoms of Dementia

Hello Care Partners, Join us to review common signs and symptoms that may indicate dementia. Keep a journal in the beginning to be able to report accurately what you are seeing and concerned about. Memory loss, Getting lost, and many more will be discussed and explained. Dementia will look differently on each of us and our health or lack thereof will also change what memory loss looks like for you or me. We will review the fact that some people have awareness of their memory loss and some will not or it may fluctuate at times. Dealing with these symptoms and changes can be difficult, so we will continue to share as much information as we can. It is our mission to provide tools for you as you join them on their journey with Dementia. Don't forget about our bonus page for the month of September. You can click below to get this wonderful gift from us. Feel free to print this out and share if needed. Don't miss the suggestions near the end of today's podcast to provide better strategies for you to keep your brain safe and healthy. You Got THIS, Teresa Please Like Share and subscribe to us on all platforms: https://open.spotify.com/show/78w36us...

Lighten the Load of Dementia Care

Hello Care Partners, Today we are going to review better ways to join your loved one or resident on their individual journey with Dementia. We will discuss the challenges with changing their locations and why this needs lots of consideration and planning in order to make this transition successful. It's also important to always know your plan B or the alternative care arrangement just in case something should suddenly disrupt your current schedule. In this podcast we also included a simple acronym to help you remember better techniques to use with memory care. The Bangs Technique was developed by my friend Susan Macaulay who is the founder of My Alzheimer's Story. www.myalzheimersstory.com. This simple technique has helped tens of 1000's of caregivers give better care. Lastly, Thank you for tuning into our Podcast today! We hope you enjoyed this episode and gained some valuable insights. Before you go we have included a little surprise to reward your dedication in getting through the podcast and that is a link to get our featured Bonus Page for this month! Here is the link to the bonus page 👉https://www.teresayoungstrom.com/bonus Please Like, Share and Subscribe on all platforms: https://open.spotify.com/show/78w36us... You Got This, Teresa

Normal vs Not Normal Aging with Dementia

Hello Care Partners, Join us to review your current assessment skills then enjoy a recorded drama with Teresa demonstrating a scenario she first saw Teepa Snow perform years ago. The goal is to help you distinguish between red flags that may indicate symptoms of dementia or just normal age related forgetfulness so you can better discern if there is a real problem or not! You will want to follow this to the end in order to take advantage of our New Bonus Page only available to those dedicated followers of the podcast. Here is the link to the bonus page 👉 https://www.teresayoungstrom.com/bonus We appreciate your support and encouragement and want to give back to you a wonderful tool that I wish I had to care for my own Mom. Please like, share and subscribe so we can serve many more Care Partners on this journey. Please subscribe to us on all platforms: https://open.spotify.com/show/78w36us... You Got This, Teresa

Dr. Catherine Franssen, Neuroscience of Memory and Dementia

Hello Care Partners, Join us to hear about Dr. Catherine Franssen She is recognized internationally as a public speaker, educator, and researcher. She received her Ph.D. in neurobiology from the University of Chicago and has thrived at multiple universities over the past two decades, most recently Longwood University in Virginia, where she earned tenure and launched an interdisciplinary neuroscience program. Her collaborative research over the past two decades has appeared in prestigious journals including Nature and Brain Research. Catherine is widely recognized for her ability to take the latest research in neuroscience and psychology and apply it to everyday life, decision-making, and business strategies. Her thoughts and voice appear in hundreds of publications including CNN and Scientific American. Her broad scientific training combined with her innovative thinking, humor, and passion for informal education lends a unique lens to a range of topics, from holiday spending to the love of pumpkin spice. Passionate about communicating lessons from neuroscience to improve business strategies, career development, and personal wellbeing, Dr. Franssen has recently founded Franssen Strategies, LLC. Her areas of expertise include stress management, mental health, and neurodiversity. She provides workshops and executive coaching for organizations in the public and private sectors. Join us as we discuss how Dementia is different from normal aging and why it is so challenging to relate to especially when agitation or acting out is present. You Got This, Teresa Please Subscribe, Like and Share on all platforms: https://open.spotify.com/show/78w36us...

Therapy for People Living with Dementia

Hello Care Partners, Our guests today are Laurie Walther, M.S., CCC-SLP and Emily Briggs, OTR/L are licensed therapists who are independently certified to train on Teepa Snow's Positive Approach to Care (PAC) techniques. With over 45 years of combined experience as a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) and Occupational Therapist (OT), respectively, they are passionate about improving the quality of care by providing care with those living with dementia and empowering others to do the same. These amazing women know their business and are compassionate too. They think outside the box to find ways to serve your loved one who is living with Dementia. They have personal and professional experience that you will notice as soon as you talk to them. Their focus is to provide exceptional CARE or Compassion, Acceptance, Reliability and Education. You will be blessed by this podcast and the stories that they shared. You Got THIS, Teresa Please subscribe to us on all platforms: https://open.spotify.com/show/78w36us...

Anosognosia and Dementia

Hey Care Partners, Enjoy this podcast where you will learn to observe your person living with dementia and determine in every moment if they have awareness of their memory loss or if they are in a state of complete denial and believe they are just fine. Teepa Snow taught me about Anosognosia and I was completely surprised that in all my experience as a nurse, I had never heard of it. In this podcast you will learn about the value of identifying their awareness of their memory loss every time you are together so you can better serve their needs. If they are back in time, you will need to join them there, and if they are tracking with you, even better. Be a great detective and not a judge in order to serve them to the best of your ability and maintain a great relationship. You Got This! Teresa Please Like, Share and subscribe to us on all platforms: https://open.spotify.com/show/78w36us...

Dementia Behaviors Indicate a NEED

Hello Care Partners, Many times people living with brain changes have a challenge with seeing their own brain changes. Sometimes our loved ones develop Anosognosia or the inability to see their brain deficit, making it challenging initially to engage with them. Listen to several true stories where we personalized care and engaged in a way to come alongside and serve their needs. Forget the fact that they think they back in time and think they’re still employed. Join them on their journey wherever they are today, and allow them to be right when they’re wrong in order to maintain a great relationship with your loved one. You Got This, Teresa Please Like, Share and Subscribe to us on all platforms: https://open.spotify.com/show/78w36us...

2 di 4