Dementia Resilience with Jill Lorentz

Jan 5, 2023

Today’s show is about dealing with abuse situations that need to be dealt with head on and forthright. Please don’t put your head in the sand when you see someone who is neglected or being abused.

December 29, 2022

This holiday season has shown you some things you didn’t want to see or know if you visited someone displaying signs of memory loss and cognitive impairment. Everything seems immediate! Let’s get help! What do we do 1st? Well, first – breathe! Doctor appointments are six months out, filing for Medicaid for the less fortunate takes months. Don’t get stressed out, I have some ideas for you!

December 8, 2020 A few years ago my husband & I went into the studio to make our second Christmas CD, Finding Christmas Spirit and had a great time over the next seven months working on the music. Jim Played acoustic guitar and harmonicas, including a 40 year old bass harmonica once owned by his father, as well as sharing the vocals with me. His rendition of The Grinch is fabulous and a can’t miss! We played with a few other musicians, Brian Hunter (electric guitar, piano and drums) and Julia Harris on violin, helped to round out the musicians. We hope you enjoy this holiday show while you are wrapping presents, baking cookies, trimming the tree or whatever fun activity you have going on!

Happy Holidays & thanks for listening!

Jill & Jim

December 13, 2022

As we return home for the holidays, gather for family celebrations, some of you will encounter disturbing and confusing issues of memory loss and cognition. It can be helpful to listen to this podcast so as not to be overwhelmed. I hope to give you some guidance on what to do next; steps to take to address these issues.

December 6, 2022

My guest in studio today is Sarah Thompson, a PHD student at the University of Colorado Anschutz in Denver. She is conducting a studio on music therapy and how it benefits people who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and their care partners. She is looking for a team of 20 people for the study which begins in January. If you are interested, please contact Sarah as soon as possible to register.

To load music from Youtube, open the APP on your phone or tablet, then, on the lower right corner, you will see Library. Click library, the hit playlist. It will give you an option to create a new play list. Then hit the search magnifying glass at the top right to look for songs. When you find a song that works, touch the three dot bars on the right and it will ask if you want to save it to a playlist. TaDa! You’re done!

Sarah explains about the study:

Music processing stays intact during the Alzheimer’s disease process, even though language and other functions deteriorate. 

Based on this, I developed the first caregiver training program to teach caregivers how to use music to reduce sundowning. 

The whole study is remote and takes place online, via phone, and via Zoom. We are targeting home-based caregivers of individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease who have sundowning behavior. No musical skill is required

For more information, please call
Sarah Thompson at 303-817-0231

November 29, 2022

When we are caring for a family member or friend, assisting with a dementia disease, sometimes asking questions about finances is tricky. This is personal information, and they may be suspicious why you are asking. Many people hide information throughout their homes, cars, safe deposit boxes and more. Where do you even begin to look? I address all of this and line out exactly what you need to look for and where.

November 22,2022

Today my guest is Dr Amy Sanders, a neurologist based in Hartford, Connecticut. I found Amy as I was working on a project and searching for literature reviews. She worked with a large team to theorize better ways to work with their patients who need a clear diagnosis and path of success slated for their upcoming journey.

November 15, 2022I enjoy getting comments from my Caregivernation and sharing them with others. I think most of you can relate to the joys, sorrows and ways people cope with dementia diseases and caring for the people around them.

November 8, 2022

Visiting your long-time family doctor or general practitioner when someone you care for is struggling with impaired cognition or memory issues seems to be the first stop for many of you. Not a bad idea because they know you best, however, they may not be the most qualified to give you the answers you are seeking. Don’t be afraid to ask them to refer you to a specialist who can do more testing and provide an assessment which may be more accurate. Your general physician can still help you with day-to-day issues not related to the brain symptoms so don’t be worried that you will hurt their feelings! This show will guide you to the information you need to have this conversation.

October 4, 2022

My guest today is Dr. Peter Pressman, Neurologist and Researcher at the University of Colorado Hospital Anschutz in Denver, Colorado. Dr Pressman and Dr. Huntington Potter are looking for people to join the newest phase of the Sargramostim clinical trial. Otherwise known as the Leukine study. This clinical research is showing promise in fighting Alzheimer’s disease. Dr Pressman talks about what the research trial will entail, as well as answering some burning questions about the validity of some research that has drawn attention for not so good reasons. Dr. Pressman gets very candid and answers the tough questions in this segment.

Do you have mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease?
You may be eligible for a clinical trial for an investigational drug for the treatment of
mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Participants will be asked to participate in weekly
visits for 24 weeks, as well as screening and follow-up visits.
In order to qualify you must:
• be between 60-80 years old
• have a diagnosis of mild-to moderate Alzheimer’s disease
• be willing and able to have a spinal
tap and weekly blood draws
• have a study partner willing to give
daily injections after training
There are additional eligibility
requirements, which can be found at:
www.cumemoryresearch.org
Location
Weekly appointments will be conducted
at the University of Colorado Anshcutz
Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado.
Participants will receive:
• study related care and medication at
no cost
• stipend to defray some costs of
participation
COMIRB# 19-2727 PI: Peter Pressman, MD
To learn more please call: 303-724-4644
You can also email [email protected] or visit our website
www.cumemoryresearch.org. Health insurance is not needed for this study.