- With Mayo Clinic health education outreach coordinator
Angela Lunde
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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.
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Alzheimer's blog
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Oct. 20, 2007
Alzheimer's: Communication skills help caregivers
By Angela Lunde
I have read some comments with regards to the challenges of communicating with someone who has Alzheimer's disease or another cause of dementia. I'd like to share some ideas that may help from time to time, and hear from you on the topic of "communication."
First, consider the words or sentences you are using. Do they sound as if you are telling the person what to do (or what not to do)? Keep in mind that you are still communicating with an adult, who, at least in the early to mid stages may be trying to maintain some sense of control.
For example, be cautious when starting out a conversation with "You need to ..." or "You can't" or "I want you to ..." Many times you will find that this escalates any agitation or anger that may be brewing (also pay attention to the tone of your voice and/or body language). Remember that the person with dementia no longer has the ability to be rational or logical the way they could before the disease, nor to the extent that you do. Arguing with the person will make the situation worse. As one writer mentioned "it is the disease, not the person."
As caregivers, most of you know that this makes sense, but amid the everyday stress of caregiving it is not easy. I understand that. Keep in mind that "coping caregivers" accept that they will not handle every situation perfectly. They recognize that they are human and have limitations.
Please give yourself permission to feel satisfied that you are managing a particular event or responding to a disruptive behavior in the best possible way you could at that given moment.
"Do the best you can. You won't go to jail if you pay your bills a few days late. Your meals don't have to taste like Julia Child's. Besides, if you serve meatloaf 3 nights in a row, who but you will notice." — Anne Simpson, "Through the Wilderness of Alzheimer's Disease"
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