- With Mayo Clinic health education outreach coordinator
Angela Lunde
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Angela Lunde
Angela Lunde is a dementia education specialist in the education core of Mayo Clinic's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the Abigail Van Buren Alzheimer's Disease Research Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Angela Lunde
The transfer of information about dementias, as well as understanding the need for participation in clinical trials, is an essential component of the education core.
Angela is a member of the Alzheimer's Association board of directors and co-chair of the annual Minnesota Dementia Conference. She is a member of the Dementia Behavior Assessment and Response Team (D-BART), a multidisciplinary outreach service assisting professional and family caregivers in understanding and managing difficult behaviors often present in dementia. She facilitates several support groups, including Memory Club, an early-stage education and support series, and more recently, helped to develop and now deliver Healthy Action to Benefit Independence and Thinking (HABIT), a 10-day cognitive rehab and wellness program for people with mild cognitive impairment.
Angela takes a personal interest in understanding the complex changes that take place within relationships and among families when dementia is present. She is particularly interested in providing innovative and accessible ways for people with dementia and their families to receive information and participate in valuable programs that promote well-being.
"Amid a devastating disease, there are tools, therapies, programs and ways to cope, and it is vital that families are connected to these resources," she says.
Latest entries
- Memory screening can be a good thing, but not for everyone
Nov. 17, 2009
- 10 warning signs of Alzheimer's
Oct. 31, 2009
- Alzheimer's crisis emerging, but progress being made
Oct. 3, 2009
- Taking action gives hope for those with memory loss
Sept. 9, 2009
- Strategies for dementia caregiving
Aug. 4, 2009
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Alzheimer's blog
-
Nov. 10, 2007
Facing difficult times
By Angela Lunde
From time to time I receive updates from families on their journey with Alzheimer's. What follows is a letter I received from a caregiving wife during a difficult period. This piece may feel uncomfortable to read; however, the writer's open and sincere words remind us all that we are not alone.
I am sending the latest progress report with a very heavy heart. My husband Rob is having catastrophic outbursts every time I try to bathe him. This happens in the morning when I get him dressed, and it happens in the evening but less often. At the present time, I have morning help from a strong gentle male nursing student along with the staff at day care he attends. But even with three of us, it is almost impossible to get him into the shower.
I am learning not to push Rob to do anything he doesn't want to do. I let him sleep in the mornings and I sponge him off rather than using the shower. He sleeps in his clothes at night or spends the day in his pajamas. In every other instance he is his calm, gentle self but when someone tries to change his clothes he can become like a caged animal, wild-eyed and ferocious.
He has dreams or hallucinations at night. It appears like he is talking to someone in the room. Rob does not seem upset by this presence and sometimes he wakes up laughing.
I am way past tired and I'm a little scared. I realize the time has come for Rob to be moved to the Alzheimer's Unit. In a way, it is a relief to come to this realization because I never knew how I could make the decision. But now, even with help, I can no longer care for him at home.
I was shocked today to get a call that there is a space for Rob and he can move to the Alzheimer's Unit on FRIDAY. As you can imagine we are feeling all sorts of mixed emotions! Of course, I am feeling deep sadness and regret. However, I do know that I did the best I could ... and so did Rob!
35 comments posted