26 Oct 2026
Ep. 1-6 Loving someone who has dementia
Support Lines to contact for help with Dementia or Mental Health:
Alzheimer's Association — 1-800-272-3900 (24/7). Despite the name, they support families dealing with all types of dementia, not just Alzheimer's. They can help with information, referrals, and caregiver resources.
988 (call or text) — (24/7) for your own emotional well-being, no diagnosis is needed and it doesn't have to be dementia-related.
NAMI HelpLine — 1-800-950-6264 — peer support for family members/caregivers.
ADEAR Center — 1-800-438-4380 — general info on Alzheimer's and related dementias.
Questions that came up while I was working on this episode:
These questions are beyond the scope of this episode. I'm curious about these things, and might create a future episode that touches on some of these topics.
* Why are people with many different types of dementia placed together in the same unit?
* What are the statistics on the number of people with each type of dementia placed into each unit?
* Who keeps track of the things that facilities are doing for, with, or to people who have dementia?
* Is it necessary to keep all types of dementia patients locked into a unit?
* Why are we treating dementia mostly as a disease, instead of differently abled or neuro-different from the rest of the population?
* Are we doing all we can to treat people who have dementia humanely, with respect and compassion?
* People with dementia have rights. What is being done to make sure all concerned parties (the person with dementia, their loved ones, the staff, the press, the policymakers, law enforcement, etc) are aware of their rights and that they are being preserved?
* What advocacy groups exist to protect the legal rights of people with dementia, and what legal rights do they have? Do they have the rights that they need? Maybe those with different types of dementia, or at different stages of dementia should have different rights. Don’t they have the right not to be all lumped together, legally?
* What scientific studies have been done, are being done, or are being planned, to understand the changes in the brain for each type of dementia? Which studies look at how different environmental stimuli have impacts on people, what those impacts are, and to what degree? Examples of stimuli: different types of television shows, dogs or other animals, toddlers, activities in nature, music of various types, movement of muscle groups, types of social interactions, food and interaction between the gut-brain and the head-brain. Things to monitor - brain waves, dopamine and other chemicals, reaction time, mood changes, affect, and so on.
* How far have we come from the practice of parking the elderly (and other neuro-divergent people) in front of TVs to anesthetize them, to *shutdown* their capabilities for awareness and mindfulness beyond what their condition already imposes on them? This doesn’t strike me as humane care.
* Some people with dementia are still able to meditate and do some forms of yoga or tai chi. What studies and efforts have been made to incorporate these practices into care for elders who want them?
* What measures (elements of diet, exercise routines, listening to music, social activities, dancing, walks in nature, arts and crafts, regular bedtime and waking time, and so forth) can elderly people practice to prevent dementia?
* What statistical role does genetics play in a person getting dementia?
* How does economic inequality play out in the care of people with dementia?
* How have Buddhist based principles and practices been used to observe and study the minds of those with dementia? Has anyone discovered benefits that occur when someone has dementia?
* What can the wisdom of the brains of elderly people teach us?
* How does ageism play into the role of diagnosing and treating people with dementia? Are the behaviors or other things about the elderly pathologized? When people are marginalized, it can harm them, and it robs all of society of their presence in our lives.
* In what ways are “memory-care” facilities actually caring for the memories of their patients? Can we create out-patient “memory-care” facilities, similar to physical therapy factilities, that help people care for their memories when they are still middle-aged, as preventative care?
