Kelley Smith at CarePartners Senior Living joins Suzanne to talk about different types of dementia, and how to approach caring for a senior loved one. If you contact the Alzheimer's Association, they'll tell you there are over a hundred different types of dementia. Alzheimer's is the kind of dementia you see the most, and you also see vascular dementia that can be brought on by a number of different things. Heart disease, COPD. You also see Lewy body dementia, which unfortunately is very common with many Parkinson's residents. You don't have to have Parkinson's to get Lewy body, but that also forms a very different behavior, a very different outlook. Also, a 45 year old person who gets Alzheimer's will probably be deceased by 50, and an 89 year old woman's with Alzheimer's will probably live out their life.

We as family members think we're doing right by a loved one because we have them at home, but we really are clueless when it comes to communication. We don't know how to stimulate their brains — we don't have those skill sets. What should they expect in a home care situation? You need to take a look at the situation. If your loved one is still safe at home — they're not wandering, they're not at risk, they're still in the first stages — can you bring in some home care to kind of help out with a few things, maybe some housekeeping, whatever it takes to keep them at home? As long as they're safe at home, it's never a bad idea. When we get to the dementia part, where we have science experiments in the refrigerator and medication not being taken on time, then it's time to ask: Is it really realistic for us to keep mom and dad at home? What's it doing to my health, what's it doing to our situation? And is it working? Is mom happy? And if the truth is it's not working, she's not happy, then you have to start looking at some outside options. And there's adult family homes, there's assisted living, memory care-type communities, there are options out there. But you have to figure out what's going to be best for them with their personality and their abilities, and their social skill at the time that the placement has become necessary.

In the next segment, Kelley and Suzanne talk about various care options for those with Alzheimer's and dementia. Learn more at CarePartners’ website.

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