Dementia and Mindfulness Meditation

06/21/19 • 28 min

It is difficult to know whether an individual with dementia will reap benefits from activities traditionally designed for individuals without cognitive impairment. Because of this, we often hear loved ones say "My mother won't be able to do that because she is confused." However, this may not always be the case. In this episode, we speak with Emilie Rosanvallon regarding her experience teaching Mindfulness Meditation to individuals with cognitive impairment. Emilie talks about her first experience teaching individuals in a dementia-care setting, and explores the challenges she faced. She explains the benefits of mindfulness mediation, the adjustments she makes while working with this population, and how it might benefit caregivers as well.

Previous Episode

Dementia and Wandering: Preventing Tragedy and Supporting the Community

With the rise in dementia diagnoses over the past several years, wandering has become much more common among seniors. In communities throughout the US, individuals have tragically gone missing after wandering away from their homes. Whether individuals are at home or living in a facility, wandering can happen at any time. In this episode, we discuss efforts being made by the County of Los Angeles to educate caregivers and provide support in finding loved ones that have wandered away from home due to cognitive impairment. The pilot program, called LA FOUND, is part of a larger effort to prevent these incidents and encourage coordination among community agencies to support effected families.

Next Episode

Dementia and Physical Therapy

We are back with another interview! This week, Thomas interviews Lisa DiPalma, Physical Therapist Assistant. Lisa has been working in the field of Physical Therapy for ten years, with the majority of her work being with the geriatric population. During our interview, she discusses the benefits of physical therapy for individuals living with dementia.