**What is the cognitive test that is done with individuals that may have Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia? **If your loved one has seen (his) primary care physician, or perhaps a gerontologist or neurologist, he has most likely done a mini-mental test. There are various forms of this test, all with the…
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Serious Head Injuries
February 3, 2015 By Leave a Comment
The New England Patriots have just won another Super Bowl Championship! After all one of the “American dreams” is to play football, get a college scholarship and make it in the NFL. What could be better? National recognition, big money, travel, and your picture displayed in newspapers, on TV and on the cover of Sport…
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Frontoemporal Degeneration (FTD)
February 3, 2015 By 7 Comments
Frontotemporal Degeneration (dementia), FTD, is not a term you hear very often, but it’s important to know what it is. It presents very differently from Alzheimer’s disease. I recently became a volunteer for the AFTD (Association of Frontotemporal Degeneration) because of an awesome, but heart-breaking presentation I heard at a professional networking meeting recently. The…
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Removing the Car Keys
September 12, 2014 By 3 Comments
I did a recent post on my FaceBook page (DCPutnam Consulting) about this issue, but I want to look at it in more detail because it is such an important issue for caregivers. There are so many responsibilities that caregivers have to assume when they are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia. However,…
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PLACEMENT OPTIONS
July 29, 2014 By Leave a Comment
“Dad has Alzheimer’s and I can’t take care of him any longer, I guess I’m going to have to put him in a nursing home,” says a daughter who is the primary person caring for her Dad. There was a time when this might have been true. However, in 2014, we have options that didn’t…
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HOARDING: Keep…Donate…Dump
July 14, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Hoarding is or may become an issue for some individuals with dementia. It’s one of those behaviors where “some will…some may…some won’t” experience the behavior. Hoarding is characterized by self-neglect, domestic squalor, isolation, indifference to life in general and serious safety issues. It is the excessive accumulation of “things” that are perceived to be important…
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