I’m glad to be the one you could hear it from! ❤ Bambu Care has a wealth of information and resources related to dementia and the dementia care journey! I hope you find what we offer to be helpful!
I realize now that it's helpful to look back at the things I missed earlier. At first, I blamed myself for not taking action, but now I realize both my person & I didn't realize the condition was progressing with fractional changes, barely detectable. It has helped me to go easier on myself.
Yes, please be easy on yourself. A lot of the “early signs” begin years before anyone ever gets a diagnosis and they are usually very subtle. I also did a video on some additional subtle signs that sometimes people contribute to other things but can be a sign of cognitive change: 6 Subtle Signs of Dementia You Need to Know! ua-cam.com/video/sTW_TLakfWA/v-deo.html
Australian resident now back to the aged care residence, for respite. My sweetie needed a break from my severe Traumatic Brain Injury. More dementia yet. Just Severe Traumatic Brain Injury. Stage One here as I know it personally and professionally, is normally "old age", but no diagnosed cognitive impairment. My fellow residents in this medium sized care "home", where we still probably physically die, all have serious medical disorders, with or without the last six stages of this Seven Stage Dimensia version. With our medical age, we share vision losses, hearing losses, physical reaction impairment, much less physical strength and physical endurance, greater recovery times from common injections, bruises, cuts, and other common daily injuries. Our social skills also are altered by several simple and complex factors. We were encultured with the older standards of DSM-5. Some of us have religious and cultural heritages that do not accept the current versions of psychology's current definition of "good mental health". Many sociologists call oldies like myself, as refugees in time. Some of us remember when "Cash Was King". Modern societies now seem to be mostly or totally cashless. Oldies like myself are not yet adjusted to the current fashions where it is okay to not have every day being celebrations. Oldies like myself generally did not trust spontaneity, open mindedness, and being non-committal. Our society told us we had only two choices: good or bad, male or female, win or lose, black or white, wrong or right, stupid or smart, know-all or know-nothing. The old politicians, baby boomers like myself, aware refugees of the last two world wars. Stage One Dimensia exists. Not measured by the current geriatric tests. The next series of DSM, being DSM-6 and DSM-7, should explain these "Cognitive Deficits" on my later publications about cognitive science.
Was an administrator, at the time of my car accident. Not the last 40 years, moved to being a researcher. Next phase, is into UA-cam productions, etc. EDUCATOR. FYI. EDUCATORS tend to be wordy. If UA-cam is too wordy, there are many other less tiring methods. Journaling. Counselling. Toktok. Pinterest, etc.
Are you in need of additional support along your dementia care journey? Feel free to join us in the Treehouse where you have access to a wide array of resources and support all in one place | www.letsbambu.com/treehouse We look forward to welcoming you! 💜
Very informative. I started out having some memory issues I blew off as age related. Then things got a lot worse. They had gotten so bad that I recently saw a neuropsychologist and took a battery of tests. Waiting on a follow up appointment for the results. I recognize myself in your description of stage 3. I’m afraid that I will be diagnosed with early onset dementia. I know it’s terminal and life altering. I am really anxious and scared. How do I deal with this?
It’s definitely understandable to be scared. Make sure that besides cognitive tests that they are also checking for other things like infection, thyroid issues, vitamin or mineral deficiencies, dehydration, stress, depression. All these things can present like dementia, but are actually treatable and therefore cognitive impairment can typically be reversed, if appropriately addressed. It’s also important to know that not every one who experiences mild cognitive impairment will progress to a stage 4 and a neurodegenerative form of dementia. My best advice, which is the case regardless of a diagnosis is to prepare for care. Meaning, make sure it’s known what you do and don’t want and have legal papers to outline it like advance directives and living wills. If you haven’t already, be sure to establish a medical POA and financial POA that you can trust. As well as a last will and testament. Basically, get all your papers in order and put them in a safe but easy to find location that someone you trust knows about. It’s still very very possible to live a really good life despite having dementia, the biggest thing is making sure the people who would be caring for you are educated and supportive because that’s what I find makes the biggest difference in this journey. I don’t know if you are much of a journal person, but you may find journaling to process how you feel very helpful as well as talking to someone who will just be present and listen!
Thanks for your advice and thoughts. I will certainly use it as I move forward. Mentally preparing for a possible life altering diagnosis has been stressful. I like to write and have already been writing about my thoughts and feelings so far.
You are amazing! Can you give information on Alcohol Demitia. My cousin was diagnosed 20 years ago. She is in a nursing home for her safety now.. What stages are they the same stages???
Thank you! So, there's actually no defined stages for alcohol-related dementia. But, it can be progressive if the person continues to consume alcohol. Otherwise, a person's symptoms can remain relatively stable or even improve under proper medical care, if they stop drinking. There can be quite a variance in a person's ability to function, but we do typically see that breakdown in instrumental of activities of daily living first...so difficulty or inability to manage finances, cook, manage their household, plan and organize, etc. and they can be rather impulsive with difficulty controlling their emotions. Lifespan can vary greatly as well since it depends on how much damage was done to the brain by the time the person stops drinking and how well their brain is able to heal and adapt, or how rapidly damage is occurring to the brain if someone continues to drink.
Why is my mother so mean to me? She kicks me out of her house after driving 2 1/2 hours!! At first she's nice, but then she becomes extremely mean and agitated whem I'm around. She likes to kick me out in front of family members, and my stepfather goes along with it!! I feel that my stepfather puts negative stuff in her head about me!! When I ask to talk to him after she kicks me out, he yells at me and tells me to leave!! I hate it!
I'm sorry your mother is being mean to you and that your interactions with your mom and stepfather haven't been so pleasant. There are number of reasons why your mother could be being mean to you and it would be hard as an outsider looking in to say exactly why this could be as I would have to have a better understanding of the situation and the family dynamics. There also may be some boundaries that need to be set with your stepfather, but that's a whole other situation. Since you said she starts out nice and then becomes mean and agitated I would take note of what's happened leading up the point of her becoming that way. What triggers the change? How long are you there before things turn sour? Is it 15 minutes. Is it 30? Is it longer? When she asks you to leave, what does she say? Does she give a reason; What is her reason? Do you acknowledge the request, say your goodbyes and just leave or do you say something else? What do you say and does this make the situation better or worse? One thing we have to keep in mind is that when someone becomes agitated, regardless of the reason why, we can either add water to the fire or add fuel to the fire. Water will tame it out and fuel will of course make it worse. In all cases of agitation, we always want to add water (whatever that may look like for the given situation). Water could look like acknowledging what they've said, validating their feelings, giving space, and honoring requests. Fuel would like arguing, trying to defend ourselves, pointing out the inaccuracies in what they are saying, refusing to honor requests because it doesn't make sense to us, continuing to do something another person clearly doesn't like - things that are pretty natural to do, but may not be helpful. Also, if you want to continue to visit your mom but are worried about driving a long way just for a short visit, consider making other plans in the area. That way, your trip won't feel wasted even if the visit is short. You can still enjoy the mini road trip and make the most of it.
Yeah, it can definitely start out as denial, but at some point it usually turns into into anosognosia, which means that they become unaware of their deficits. So, to them they truly believe that they are fine and that nothing is wrong with them. As far as lying and making up stories, some people are just liars (have lied all their lives and show no signs of slowing down - you may know some people like this), but for people with dementia it's often times confabulation, which is where they are trying to fill in gaps in their memory and by doing this they end up creating false memories/stories. They can confuse reality with imagination or even dreams and it can get a bit wild sometimes, but they typically really believe the things they are saying are true. They don't see themselves as lying.
Hi Jackie, I'm not sure I understand your question. I will say that we know meth use does cause significant, progressive damage to the brain for as long as the person uses the substance. Some of the damage is able to be reversed if the person abstains long enough and therefore you will see an improvement in that's person's thinking and functioning, but some of the damage is irreversible or can go on to cause other issues. It depends on so many factors. If you want to elaborate on what you meant by "remodel" in the brain, I may be able to answer your question better...or more specifically.
As mentioned at 4:50, Stages 1, 2, and 3 are considered “pre-dementia” stages. 7-stage models can be confusing in that way. So technically, yes, most humans function at a stage 1 or 2 or even fluctuate between those stages through their life…but it’s not actually dementia at these stages.
“Caring for a person not a number”. In my quest to learn about my mother’s condition this is exactly what I needed to hear today.
I’m glad to be the one you could hear it from! ❤
Bambu Care has a wealth of information and resources related to dementia and the dementia care journey! I hope you find what we offer to be helpful!
I realize now that it's helpful to look back at the things I missed earlier. At first, I blamed myself for not taking action, but now I realize both my person & I didn't realize the condition was progressing with fractional changes, barely detectable. It has helped me to go easier on myself.
Yes, please be easy on yourself. A lot of the “early signs” begin years before anyone ever gets a diagnosis and they are usually very subtle. I also did a video on some additional subtle signs that sometimes people contribute to other things but can be a sign of cognitive change:
6 Subtle Signs of Dementia You Need to Know!
ua-cam.com/video/sTW_TLakfWA/v-deo.html
Beautifully and clearly explained! Thank you very much! I love your voice too!
Aww thank you! I’m glad!
Thank you Breanna! Your videos are awesome and so detailed! Just what I needed to understand my mom’s behavior and what to do about it!
I’m very happy to hear that! Thank you for watching my videos! :)
I love your videos. Very easy to follow.
I love to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to let me know! ❤️
Wow am I glad I found your channel!
Aww thanks!
This is EXCELLENT!!!
Australian resident now back to the aged care residence, for respite. My sweetie needed a break from my severe Traumatic Brain Injury. More dementia yet. Just Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.
Stage One here as I know it personally and professionally, is normally "old age", but no diagnosed cognitive impairment. My fellow residents in this medium sized care "home", where we still probably physically die, all have serious medical disorders, with or without the last six stages of this Seven Stage Dimensia version.
With our medical age, we share vision losses, hearing losses, physical reaction impairment, much less physical strength and physical endurance, greater recovery times from common injections, bruises, cuts, and other common daily injuries.
Our social skills also are altered by several simple and complex factors. We were encultured with the older standards of DSM-5. Some of us have religious and cultural heritages that do not accept the current versions of psychology's current definition of "good mental health".
Many sociologists call oldies like myself, as refugees in time. Some of us remember when "Cash Was King". Modern societies now seem to be mostly or totally cashless.
Oldies like myself are not yet adjusted to the current fashions where it is okay to not have every day being celebrations. Oldies like myself generally did not trust spontaneity, open mindedness, and being non-committal. Our society told us we had only two choices: good or bad, male or female, win or lose, black or white, wrong or right, stupid or smart, know-all or know-nothing.
The old politicians, baby boomers like myself, aware refugees of the last two world wars. Stage One Dimensia exists. Not measured by the current geriatric tests. The next series of DSM, being DSM-6 and DSM-7, should explain these "Cognitive Deficits" on my later publications about cognitive science.
Stick w dsm v. You re verbose btw.
Was an administrator, at the time of my car accident. Not the last 40 years, moved to being a researcher.
Next phase, is into UA-cam productions, etc. EDUCATOR.
FYI. EDUCATORS tend to be wordy. If UA-cam is too wordy, there are many other less tiring methods. Journaling. Counselling. Toktok. Pinterest, etc.
Are you in need of additional support along your dementia care journey? Feel free to join us in the Treehouse where you have access to a wide array of resources and support all in one place | www.letsbambu.com/treehouse
We look forward to welcoming you! 💜
My husband has vascular dementia for 2 years. Where do I find out more? Thank you
@@cathythomas298 Hi Cathy,
What are you wanting to find out?
Very informative. I started out having some memory issues I blew off as age related. Then things got a lot worse. They had gotten so bad that I recently saw a neuropsychologist and took a battery of tests. Waiting on a follow up appointment for the results. I recognize myself in your description of stage 3. I’m afraid that I will be diagnosed with early onset dementia. I know it’s terminal and life altering. I am really anxious and scared. How do I deal with this?
It’s definitely understandable to be scared. Make sure that besides cognitive tests that they are also checking for other things like infection, thyroid issues, vitamin or mineral deficiencies, dehydration, stress, depression. All these things can present like dementia, but are actually treatable and therefore cognitive impairment can typically be reversed, if appropriately addressed.
It’s also important to know that not every one who experiences mild cognitive impairment will progress to a stage 4 and a neurodegenerative form of dementia.
My best advice, which is the case regardless of a diagnosis is to prepare for care. Meaning, make sure it’s known what you do and don’t want and have legal papers to outline it like advance directives and living wills.
If you haven’t already, be sure to establish a medical POA and financial POA that you can trust. As well as a last will and testament. Basically, get all your papers in order and put them in a safe but easy to find location that someone you trust knows about.
It’s still very very possible to live a really good life despite having dementia, the biggest thing is making sure the people who would be caring for you are educated and supportive because that’s what I find makes the biggest difference in this journey.
I don’t know if you are much of a journal person, but you may find journaling to process how you feel very helpful as well as talking to someone who will just be present and listen!
Thanks for your advice and thoughts. I will certainly use it as I move forward. Mentally preparing for a possible life altering diagnosis has been stressful. I like to write and have already been writing about my thoughts and feelings so far.
@@roberthaines1227 I can only imagine Robert. Let me know if you ever need anything else! I’m never too far :)
I will. Thanks again!
Wishing the best for you sir. Thank you for your service. 😊
You are amazing!
Can you give information on Alcohol Demitia.
My cousin was diagnosed 20 years ago.
She is in a nursing home for her safety now..
What stages are they the same stages???
Thank you!
So, there's actually no defined stages for alcohol-related dementia. But, it can be progressive if the person continues to consume alcohol. Otherwise, a person's symptoms can remain relatively stable or even improve under proper medical care, if they stop drinking. There can be quite a variance in a person's ability to function, but we do typically see that breakdown in instrumental of activities of daily living first...so difficulty or inability to manage finances, cook, manage their household, plan and organize, etc. and they can be rather impulsive with difficulty controlling their emotions. Lifespan can vary greatly as well since it depends on how much damage was done to the brain by the time the person stops drinking and how well their brain is able to heal and adapt, or how rapidly damage is occurring to the brain if someone continues to drink.
Why is my mother so mean to me? She kicks me out of her house after driving 2 1/2 hours!! At first she's nice, but then she becomes extremely mean and agitated whem I'm around. She likes to kick me out in front of family members, and my stepfather goes along with it!! I feel that my stepfather puts negative stuff in her head about me!! When I ask to talk to him after she kicks me out, he yells at me and tells me to leave!! I hate it!
I'm sorry your mother is being mean to you and that your interactions with your mom and stepfather haven't been so pleasant.
There are number of reasons why your mother could be being mean to you and it would be hard as an outsider looking in to say exactly why this could be as I would have to have a better understanding of the situation and the family dynamics. There also may be some boundaries that need to be set with your stepfather, but that's a whole other situation.
Since you said she starts out nice and then becomes mean and agitated I would take note of what's happened leading up the point of her becoming that way. What triggers the change? How long are you there before things turn sour? Is it 15 minutes. Is it 30? Is it longer?
When she asks you to leave, what does she say? Does she give a reason; What is her reason? Do you acknowledge the request, say your goodbyes and just leave or do you say something else? What do you say and does this make the situation better or worse?
One thing we have to keep in mind is that when someone becomes agitated, regardless of the reason why, we can either add water to the fire or add fuel to the fire. Water will tame it out and fuel will of course make it worse.
In all cases of agitation, we always want to add water (whatever that may look like for the given situation). Water could look like acknowledging what they've said, validating their feelings, giving space, and honoring requests. Fuel would like arguing, trying to defend ourselves, pointing out the inaccuracies in what they are saying, refusing to honor requests because it doesn't make sense to us, continuing to do something another person clearly doesn't like - things that are pretty natural to do, but may not be helpful.
Also, if you want to continue to visit your mom but are worried about driving a long way just for a short visit, consider making other plans in the area. That way, your trip won't feel wasted even if the visit is short. You can still enjoy the mini road trip and make the most of it.
Thank you beautiful queen
You are welcome!
You re a guy right?
EXCELLENT!!
Thanks! 💙
My friend just turned 69. She certainly is in denial. Is it common that they lie and make up stories too?
Yeah, it can definitely start out as denial, but at some point it usually turns into into anosognosia, which means that they become unaware of their deficits. So, to them they truly believe that they are fine and that nothing is wrong with them.
As far as lying and making up stories, some people are just liars (have lied all their lives and show no signs of slowing down - you may know some people like this), but for people with dementia it's often times confabulation, which is where they are trying to fill in gaps in their memory and by doing this they end up creating false memories/stories. They can confuse reality with imagination or even dreams and it can get a bit wild sometimes, but they typically really believe the things they are saying are true. They don't see themselves as lying.
What about meth use? 74 y o ..20 year meth use. Is it possible to " remodel" in the brain?
Hi Jackie, I'm not sure I understand your question.
I will say that we know meth use does cause significant, progressive damage to the brain for as long as the person uses the substance. Some of the damage is able to be reversed if the person abstains long enough and therefore you will see an improvement in that's person's thinking and functioning, but some of the damage is irreversible or can go on to cause other issues. It depends on so many factors.
If you want to elaborate on what you meant by "remodel" in the brain, I may be able to answer your question better...or more specifically.
At after the five minute time level, 5.00, EVERYONE HAS DEMENTIA. If we survive childhood OK, we all have STAGE ONE DEMENTIA.
As mentioned at 4:50, Stages 1, 2, and 3 are considered “pre-dementia” stages. 7-stage models can be confusing in that way. So technically, yes, most humans function at a stage 1 or 2 or even fluctuate between those stages through their life…but it’s not actually dementia at these stages.