A Mother with Mixed Dementia | Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiving

11/15/23 • 32 min

Caregiver Storyteller - About Alzheimer's and Dementia Caregiving

Cindy Legorreta’s introduction to Alzheimer’s began when her older friend, Kitty, began struggling to come up with common words. Kitty’s home was sold to pay for her care and Cindy would visit regularly. Soon after, Cindy’s mother Lucille began showing symptoms of Alzheimer’s and would later be diagnosed with Mixed Dementia. A period of estrangement that kept Cindy apart from her mother would end when Cindy and her sister Val became primary caregivers for their mother. This is her story.

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Why Comfort Matters for People with Alzheimer's and Dementia | Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiving

Ann Wyatt has been a long-term care professional since the 1970s. In 2011, she was tasked with finding a way to help nursing care facilities develop programs that better meet the needs of residents with dementia. When she visited the Beatitudes program in Arizona, she found the answer. In this episode, Ann shares what happens when an organization re-organizes itself from top to bottom to make comfort the priority in long-term dementia care.

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If I Had Only Known | Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiving

Ellen Lebowitz first became a caregiver when her father was dying of congestive heart failure. While caregiving was emotionally difficult, Ellen’s burden was lightened by a hospice staff who kept her informed of her father’s status every step of the way. When Ellen’s mother, Ruth, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, she again became a caregiver – but this time she was caregiving for someone with a disease that felt unpredictable and disorienting. Despite it all, Ellen learned to let go of conflict from the past and offer her mother unconditional love.