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

11/15/23 • 33 min

Caregiver Storyteller - About Alzheimer's and 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.

Previous Episode

A Mother with Mixed Dementia | Alzheimer’s & 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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Food As Medicine | Alzheimer’s and Dementia Caregiving

Occasionally, Caregiver/Storyteller interviews dementia care professionals. In this interview, we hear from Dr. Lisa Mosconi about the role nutrition plays in brain health. The science becomes personal as Dr. Mosconi shares the story of how her grandmother developed Alzheimer’s and the challenge that her mother faced as primary caregiver.

Dr. Mosconi holds a PhD degree in Neuroscience & Nuclear Medicine, and is a certified Integrative Nutritionist and holistic healthcare practitioner. She is well known for her research on the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease in at-risk individuals using brain imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). She is passionately interested in how risk of memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease can be mitigated, if not prevented through the combination of appropriate medical care and lifestyle modifications involving diet, nutrition, physical and intellectual fitness.