Neuro Note -- Dementia
For my
final Neuro Note assignment, I decided to watch a Ted Talk about dementia, “How
my dad’s dementia changed my idea of death (and life)”. I chose this talk
because I think dementia looks different for a lot of people, and it affects
families and caregivers so tremendously. Beth Malone talks about her experience
with her dad who has frontotemporal lobe dementia. He has been diagnosed with
dementia for a decade, but a few years ago, he became so sick that Beth and her
family decided they needed to move him to a facility that could take care of
him around the clock. Her father turned violent and was sent to a new facility
specifically for people with dementia. She talks about the onesie that they
have the residents wear, and she says it reminds her of a straight-jacket. She
became so overwhelmed with guilt and sadness that this is what her father’s
life had become.
As Beth
continued to talk, I realized how much her father’s diagnosis had affected her
life. She had trouble trying to resume her role as a daughter because she
thought she needed to be the doctor, the caregiver, and she couldn’t enjoy her
role as a daughter anymore. She says, “I wish we had talked about death when we
were all healthy”. She wishes she had talked about how her father wanted to die—what
his ideal death would look like, before his dementia became so prevalent in his
life. I think that concept would be something worth considering mentioning as
an occupational therapist talking to the family and caregivers of a client with
dementia. It is important to involve all members of the client’s family when
planning for the course of any disease.
Malone,
B. How my dad's dementia changed my idea of death (and life). Retrieved from
https://www.ted.com/talks/beth_malone_how_my_dad_s_dementia_changed_my_id
a_of_death_and_life#t-405927
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