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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