Understanding What They're Facing
Reviewed by Catherine Reyes, LCSW Loss of recognition is a common stage of Alzheimer's and other dementias, affecting the majority of people in middle to late stages according to the Alzheimer's Association. Your parent has not chosen to forget you. The neural pathways that connected your
Understanding What They're Facing
Reviewed by the How To Help Your Elders medical review team When a parent's brain disease affects language, communication does not vanish. It changes form. Words become harder to find, sentences trail off, and conversations require a different kind of listening. Your job shifts from exchanging information to
Understanding What They're Facing
Reviewed by Dr. Elena Torres, M.D. According to the Alzheimer's Association, 6 in 10 people with dementia will wander at least once. Many do it repeatedly. Wandering is not defiance or willfulness. It is a neurological symptom driven by confusion, unmet needs, or memories the brain treats
Understanding What They're Facing
Reviewed by the How To Help Your Elders medical review team Clinical trials offer access to experimental treatments before they reach the market, but they are research studies, not guaranteed therapy. Most dementia trials produce modest results at best, and your parent could receive a placebo, experience side effects, or
Understanding What They're Facing
Reviewed by the How To Help Your Elders Team Sundowning is a pattern of increased agitation, confusion, and anxiety in people with dementia that intensifies in late afternoon and evening. The Alzheimer's Association estimates it affects up to 20 percent of people with Alzheimer's disease. It
Understanding What They're Facing
Reviewed by the How To Help Your Elders medical review team If your parent was relatively normal yesterday and is deeply confused today, that is likely delirium, not dementia. Delirium is an acute medical emergency with a treatable cause, while dementia is a slow, progressive decline. The NIH reports that
Understanding What They're Facing
Reviewed by the How To Help Your Elders Team Parkinson's disease is a progressive nervous system disorder driven by the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells. The tremor gets all the attention, but the non-motor symptoms, including depression, sleep disruption, constipation, and cognitive changes, are often more burdensome for
Understanding What They're Facing
Reviewed by the How To Help Your Elders Team Stroke kills brain cells by cutting off their blood supply, and whatever functions those cells controlled are lost or impaired. The first three months after a stroke offer the fastest recovery window, making early intensive rehabilitation critical. Most survivors end up
Understanding What They're Facing
Reviewed by the How To Help Your Elders Team Depression and dementia can look nearly identical in older adults, and they frequently occur together. Getting the distinction right matters because depression is highly treatable while dementia is not, and when both are present, treating only one leaves your parent struggling
Understanding What They're Facing
Reviewed by the How To Help Your Elders Team Mild cognitive impairment sits between normal aging and dementia. It means cognitive changes beyond what's typical for age, but not severe enough to substantially interfere with daily life. About 10 to 15 percent of people with MCI convert to
Understanding What They're Facing
Reviewed by the How To Help Your Elders Team When someone with dementia becomes aggressive, it is almost always driven by pain, fear, overstimulation, or neurological damage, not by choice or hostility. Understanding what's behind the outbursts and learning de-escalation techniques protects both your parent and you, and
Understanding What They're Facing
Reviewed by the How To Help Your Elders medical review team Frontotemporal dementia attacks the parts of the brain that control personality, judgment, and social behavior before it touches memory. Your parent may still remember your name and find their way around the house while becoming someone you do not