“Do the thinking for them,” Tan suggested. Investigate triggers and look for solutions, such as snacks or extra rest, if they’re feeling down. If you try to force them to do something they don’t feel well enough to do or their needs aren’t met, it can show up as anger. Knowing what to expect can help you guide your loved one through those years with dignity.ĭementia patients can struggle to communicate-especially as the illness advances to moderate to late stages-so you won’t always know if they’re sad, hungry, tired, bored or struggling with their appetite. On average, a person with dementia will live about 10 years or more after diagnosis, said Zaldy Tan, MD, director of Cedars-Sinai’s Memory and Aging Program, medical director of the Jona Goldrich Center for Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders, and the Carmen and Louis Warschaw Chair in Neurology. It’s called “the long goodbye.” While groundbreaking new medications could slow Alzheimer’s disease progression, there is still no cure for the estimated 6.7 million Americans with the condition, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. There might even come a day when they don’t recognize you. Their speech, personality and thinking can also shift. Over time, as memory disorders damage cells in the brain and nervous system, they’ll need someone to care for them. They may forget where they are, repeat themselves, or get confused and agitated. Watching a loved one face dementia is often heartbreaking and disorienting.
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