CONTACT: Pamela D. Wilson 303-810-1816
Email: Inquiry_For_Pamela@pameladwilson.com
Golden, Colorado – February 10, 2020
The Caring Generation® - How to Talk to a Parent With Dementia
Golden CO- Caregiving expert Pamela D. Wilson hosts The Caring Generation radio program for caregivers and aging adults this coming Wednesday, February 12th, on the Bold Brave Media Global Network. The program airs live at 9 p.m. EST. The Caring Generation® aired initially from 2009 to 2011 on 630 KHOW-AM in Denver, Colorado.
The caregiving topic for this week's program is How to Talk to and Love a Parent With Dementia. Interacting positively with elderly parents diagnosed with dementia is a learned skill. In most care situations, the primary caregiver bears the majority of the responsibility for daily care
Brothers, sisters, family members, and friends may hesitate to visit because they lack the skills or are uncomfortable interacting with a person diagnosed with dementia. This level of discomfort leads to avoidance and distancing in care situations and places stress on family relationships.
The guest for this show is Stephen Post, an expert on positive psychology and compassionate care for persons diagnosed with dementia – persons he calls the deeply forgetful. He is the founder of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love and an author.
His most recent book is God and Love on Route 80. During the Caring Generation radio program, Stephen will answer the question, "is grandma still there?" Do loved ones with dementia know and recognize family members as the disease progresses?
According to Wilson,
"The main caregiver for a family member with dementia becomes frustrated and unable to understand why family members don't visit or call. This happens most often when family members have not made any effort to seek out information about the stages of caregiving or the progression of memory loss. This distancing results in a lack of insight and an understanding of what happens day-to-day. Sadly, the person with dementia suffers from not seeing loved ones who have difficulty dealing with their emotions about an uncomfortable situation."
In the early stages of dementia, adult children may feel that a parent is purposely repeating actions or forgetting information to drive them crazy. This is not the case.
Advancing memory loss makes it difficult for elderly parents with dementia to remember conversations, appointments, and agreed-upon actions. A parent perceived as stubborn or difficult may be struggling to hold onto the last bit of independence or control they possess.
When interacting with an elderly parent with dementia, it is beneficial when family caregivers change their thinking from "it's all about me and how I feel," to "it's all about learning how to be kind and compassionate with mom or dad." The way of talking to a parent with dementia and interacting must change to the idea of unconditional love or love without limits.
To gain compassion, adult children must look at memory loss as a disease that is taking over the thought process and actions of an elderly parent. The part of a parent's brain that used to be organized and process information is now like a road with a big sinkhole or crack in the middle. Driving from one end of the road to the other is no longer possible. The only way to get from here to there is to take a detour.
The detour is learning new ways to talk and interact with an elderly parent in the language of dementia. The sinkhole or crack in the road is like a disconnect or a gap in the brain. Modifications in words, style, and different approaches are the only way to interact positively and to communicate with elderly parents with dementia.
Much like parents love their children unconditionally, adult children caring for elderly parents with dementia must learn to love and provide care unconditionally. Elderly parents with dementia will need more care as time progress. Child-like needs for full hands-on care toward the end of life become a reality.
The February 12th edition of The Caring Generation gives caregivers positive suggestions for initiating family conversations about how to talk to a parent with dementia. By bringing family members together with visits and helping with conversations, interactions will transition from being uncomfortable to being loving and supportive.
Listeners can follow and download current and past episodes of The Caring Generation® radio show on their favorite podcast sites including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Podchaser Podcast Addict, I Heart Radio, Spotify, Spreaker, Stitcher, Sound Cloud, and Castbox. The show is also voice-enabled on Amazon's Alexa by saying, "Play The Caring Generation Podcasts on Apple Podcasts."
Make plans to join Pamela D. Wilson, caregiving expert and the host of The Caring Generation® radio program for caregivers and aging adults at 6 p.m. Pacific, 7 p.m. Mountain, 8 p.m. Central, and 9 p.m. Eastern every Wednesday night. Replays of the weekly programs are available in podcast format with transcripts on Pamela's website and all major podcast sites. More information is available on Pamela's website.
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Check Out Podcast Replays of The Caring Generation® Radio Program for Caregivers and Aging Adults HERE
The podcast replays are great to share with family, friends, social groups, and the workplace. Listening to the Caring Generation podcasts are a great alternative for weekly book clubs. The Podcast replays are also an educational activity used at senior
Pamela D. Wilson, MS, BS/BA, CG, CSA is a national caregiving expert, advocate and speaker. More than 20 years of experience as a direct service provider in the roles of a court-appointed guardian, power of attorney, and care manager led to programs supporting family caregivers and aging adults who want to be proactive about health, well-being, and caregiving. Wilson provides education and support for consumers and corporations interested in supporting employees who are working caregivers. To carry out her mission, Wilson partners with companies passionate about connecting with the caregiving marketing through digital and content marketing. Her mission to reach caregivers worldwide is accomplished through social media channels of Facebook, YouTube, Linked In, Instagram, Caregiving TV on Roku, and The Caring Generation® radio on Internet radio. She may be reached at 303-810-1816 or through her website.