In this episode of the Suburban Burnout Podcast, Megan and Laura interview occupational therapist and dementia specialist, Mary Osborne, founder of Your Dementia Therapist, a caregiver-oriented resource company. After a decade of working with dementia patients, Mary realized how little support was out there for caregivers and wanted to create something that would fill this void in her industry. Her focus now is providing educational and emotional support resources for caregivers so they can better navigate the disease progression associated with dementia.
It is estimated that 55 million people are suffering from dementia worldwide. The CDC explains that dementia is a broad term for the impaired ability to remember, think, and make decisions that interferes with daily activities. There are more than 100 types of dementia, with Alzheimer's Disease being the most common. The greatest risk factor for developing Alzheimer's is age, which is why dementia is often thought of as a condition that affects the elderly.
When dealing with a dementia patient, Mary encourages caregivers to focus on meeting their family member where they are at and focusing on what they are still able to do, rather than what they can no longer do. Early, middle, and late-stage dementia will look differently requiring a caregiver to change tactics throughout the disease progression. The goal is to help increase the quality of life for the patient, but also the caregiver.
Caregivers often feel alone in this disease journey, as most resources are patient-oriented. By helping caregivers better understand their loved one's impairments and abilities at every stage of dementia, they can best prepare for the disease progression. For example, in early stages, the impairments are related to high-level tasks such as managing finances and medication management. However, in the middle and late stages, patients will need more assistance with basic activities of daily living such as dressing, showering, grooming, and hygiene.
Caregivers also experience guilt from the heavy weight of making decisions on behalf of their family member who may not agree with them. Most dementia patients suffer from anosognosia, a complex condition that impairs one's ability to perceive themselves as ill. This often means they think they are still perfectly capable of making decisions for themselves and living independently. No one wants to be the villain, but you also have to look at whether you're able to provide the resources needed to keep an elderly family member safe in their home. Caregivers are also trying to balance all of that with their other responsibilities to their family and job.
For more detailed caregiver resources, Mary offers a membership that includes a 9-module course on how to relate to and care for someone with dementia with downloads including home safety checklists, among others. There is also information guiding caregivers on how to deal with fixations, a common occurrence with dementia, and techniques such as reality orientation, in which you weave details of a dementia patient's surroundings into the conversation, like where they are, who they are with, and what day it is.
Above all, Mary recommends finding joy in the small moments of connection that are created when you focus on what abilities remain. In her personal life, Mary focuses on healthy eating, frequent exercise, and gratitude for her brain health. For more on this topic, tune into this episode of Suburban Burnout.
Product Recommendation Links for Dementia Patients:
Meet Our Guest:
Mary is an Occupational Therapist based in Austin, TX. With over a decade of experience working directly with individuals living with dementia and helping caregivers, she has seen the positive impact she can make in the lives of others.
Over these past years, she identified the challenges that caregivers face when helping those with dementia. Her passion and love for helping others ultimately led her to found her company, Your Dementia Therapist. Your Dementia Therapist provides digital education to family members and caregivers who are taking care of a loved one living with dementia. Mary's digital education includes dementia resource guides, courses, workshops, & short video clips sharing dementia tips & dementia-friendly activities, along with much more! With over 26,000 readers from all over the world, her mission is to help make life easier for dementia caregivers and increase the quality of life for everyone involved.
To join the membership: https://members.yourdementiatherapist.com/dementia-caregiver-community-hub-offer-one-page/
Website: www.yourdementiatherapist.com (Find all digital products under 'Dementia Courses' section of the website)
Instagram: Instagram.com/yourdementiatherapist
TikTok: Tiktok.com/yourdementiatherapist
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ydtblog/
Email: Mary@yourdementiatherapist.com
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