The Alzheimer's Podcast

Christy Turner, the Dementia Sherpa, and I continue our conversation on how to know when it’s time to intervene or get professional help, with a discussion on the signs of physical changes.

This is the 5th episode in this six part series. If you’ve missed the prior episodes, you can catch up by starting with episode 36 where we kicked off the series with an overview of five main areas.

Some of what we will discuss includes:

Why physical changes are often overlooked or not associated with signs of dementia and why we tend to think of physical symptoms as age-related only.

What the average family member probably isn’t aware of regarding the consequences a fall can have, and some ideas on how to prevent falls.

Changes in sleep patterns and how to help your loved one have a better sleep routine.

Why sleep medications should not be used for older adults and people who are cognitively impaired.

Sudden incontinence and/or Urinary Tract infections and how the symptoms are different in older adults and cognitively impaired people.

Christy is a Certified Dementia Practitioner, Certified Dementia Care Unit Manager, and Cognitive Stimulation Instructor. She has run award-winning memory care communities in assisted living and skilled nursing levels of care. She has more than 16 years experience in working with over 1,100 people living with dementia and their families.

In this episode, Christy Turner, the Dementia Sherpa, and I continue our conversation on how to know when it’s time to intervene or get professional help with a discussion on changes in behavior.

This is the 4th episode in this six part series. Be sure to check out episodes 36, 37, and 38 if you missed them.

A top reason families seek help is when their loved one with Alzheimer’s or another dementia experiences changes in their behavior. Examples of this includes aggressive or violent behavior, changes in personality, loss of energy, becoming lost, and many more.

Typically, families are unsure what’s normal and what is not. But just assuming that’s its just dementia isn’t the right course of action. Care partners need to figure out the underlying cause.

She is a Certified Dementia Practitioner, Certified Dementia Care Unit Manager, and Cognitive Stimulation Instructor. She has run award-winning memory care communities in assisted living and skilled nursing levels of care.

Using her 16 years of experience in working with over 1,100 people living with dementia and their families, she’s developed a system that helps families move from crisis management to confidence.

She provides a level of knowledge, empathy, and compassion that’s unrivaled, and that I believe you will find very helpful and refreshing.

In this episode of Navigating Rough Terrain with The Dementia Sherpa, Christy Turner, the Dementia Sherpa, and I continue our conversation on how to know when it’s time to intervene or get professional help.

This is the 3rd episode in this six part series. We kicked off the series with episode 36 with an overview of five main areas to look at. And in episode 37, we discussed the first area – Diminished Safety Awareness.

Now, in this episode, we’re going to discuss how to know when changes that we observe in the individual’s home environment require intervention.

And over the next 3 episodes we’ll discuss the remaining 3 areas which include behavioral, physical, and cognitive changes.

I’m so pleased to have Christy Turner, the Dementia Sherpa, as a regular guest here on The Alzheimer’s Podcast. She provides a level of knowledge, empathy, and compassion that’s unrivaled, and that I believe you will find very helpful and refreshing.

She is a Certified Dementia Practitioner, Certified Dementia Care Unit Manager, and Cognitive Stimulation Instructor. She has run award-winning memory care communities in assisted living and skilled nursing levels of care.

Using her 16 years of experience in working with over 1,100 people living with dementia and their families, she’s developed a system that helps families move from crisis management to confidence.

In this episode, Christy Turner and I continue our 6 part series on knowing the signs of when it’s time to intervene or get professional help.

Be sure to check out the first episode in the series: Get Help or Chill Out? Know the Signs of When to Intervene.

As I think we all would agree, safety is our number 1 priority when caring for another person, but we have to do this while still protecting their independence and dignity.

This is a very difficult balancing act, and knowing when to take action while staying liked is very challenging. Christy shares strategies to help you know when it’s time to take action due to diminished safety awareness and impaired judgment.

Christy is a Certified Dementia Practitioner, Certified Dementia Care Unit Manager, and Cognitive Stimulation Instructor. She has run award-winning memory care communities in assisted living and skilled nursing levels of care.

Using her 16 years of experience in working with over 1,100 people living with dementia and their families, she’s developed a system that helps families move from crisis management to confidence.

We’ll continue to dive deeper into our remaining five areas over the next few episodes of Navigating Rough Terrain with the Dementia Sherpa.

Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss and episode. And I would love it if you would please rate and review this podcast.

Welcome to The Alzheimer’s Podcast where my goal is always to empower you to maintain a positive experience, reduce and eliminate the need for medications, & make your time together with those you care for, the best it can be.

My guest, Christy Turner, recently wrote in one of her articles, “Sometimes, it’s really obvious something is off and requires intervention. Other times, we notice things are unusual, but we aren’t sure if we should be alarmed and do something, or chill out and let it go.”

As you probably know, that is a very common feeling – one you might have on a daily basis depending on your situation.

So, I’m excited to say this episode kicks off a 6 part series with Christy where we will discuss five main areas to look at, with objective signs that indicate a problem requires intervention.

Christy Turner, the Dementia Sherpa, is a Certified Dementia Practitioner, Certified Dementia Care Unit Manager, and Cognitive Stimulation Instructor. She has run award-winning memory care communities in assisted living and skilled nursing levels of care.

Using her 16 years of experience in working with over 1,100 people living with dementia and their families, she’s developed a system that helps families move from crisis management to confidence.

There are a handful of topics in dementia care that most of us don’t want to think about, let alone discuss until something happens. But ignoring these topics and being unprepared doesn’t help anyone and typically results in negative outcomes.

In this episode, Christy Turner and I discuss sexual relationships in long-term care settings when an individual has dementia. She will discuss her experiences from when she ran memory care communities, and she will cover the 5 C’s of sex in long-term
care settings.

I am pleased to say that Christy Turner, the Dementia Sherpa, is a regular guest here on The Alzheimer’s Podcast. She provides a level of knowledge, empathy, and compassion that I believe you will find very helpful.

She is a Certified Dementia Practitioner, Certified Dementia Care Unit Manager, and Cognitive Stimulation Instructor. She has run award-winning memory care communities in assisted living and skilled nursing levels of care.

Using her 16 years of experience in working with over 1,100 people living with dementia and their families, she’s developed a system that helps families move from crisis management to confidence.

I hope you enjoy this episode.

Christy Turner returns for another episode of Navigating Rough Terrain with The Dementia Sherpa. Christy and I will be discussing strategies to help you have successful outings with your loved one.

When a loved one has dementia, you may be inclined to stay at home because it’s simply takes too much effort to have a successful outing and you may fear what might happen if things don’t go as planned.

But it’s extremely important that you overcome these hurdles because getting out and about is healthy for everyone, and helps keep us sharp and engaged.

In case you’re new, Christy Turner, the Dementia Sherpa, joins me regularly for discussions to help empower you to be successful as you care for someone living with dementia.

She is a Certified Dementia Practitioner, Certified Dementia Care Unit Manager, and Cognitive Stimulation Instructor. She has run award-winning memory care communities in assisted living and skilled nursing levels of care.

Using her 16 years of experience in working with over 1,100 people living with dementia and their families, she’s developed a system that helps families move from crisis management to confidence.

I hope you enjoy this episode.

In this episode of Navigating Rough Terrain with The Dementia Sherpa, Christy Turner, and I will be discussing societal attitudes about dementia.

There are a lot of negative and unfair beliefs about Alzheimer’s disease and the people who are living with the disease.

Negative labels and pejorative terms are damaging to the care provided and contribute to approaches to care that focus on weakness rather than strength, illness rather than wellness, and victims rather than individuals.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that life is over once a person has been diagnosed. But it’s not. In fact, individuals with dementia and their families can and are living enriched lives with the disease.

Christy joins me regularly for a discussion to help empower you to be successful as you care for someone living with dementia.

She is a Certified Dementia Practitioner, Certified Dementia Care Unit Manager, and Cognitive Stimulation Instructor. She has run award-winning memory care communities in assisted living and skilled nursing levels of care.

Using her 16 years of experience in working with over 1,100 people living with dementia and their families, she’s developed a system that helps families move from crisis management to confidence.

And don’t forget, Christy is a regular guest on The Alzheimer’s Podcast, so be sure to subscribe (buttons above) so you don’t miss an episode.

I hope you enjoy this episode.

In this episode of Navigating Rough Terrain with The Dementia Sherpa, Christy Turner will help you better understand the importance of, and how to use resiliency for better dementia care.

Being resilient means being able to spring back into shape after being bent, stretched, or compressed – all of which you’ve probably felt as a care partner. Think about it as the ability to recover readily from illness, depression, or adversity, and become stronger.

In case you’re new, Christy Turner, the Dementia Sherpa, is a regular guest on The Alzheimer’s Podcast – where she joins me for discussions to help empower you to be successful as you care for someone living with dementia.

She is a Certified Dementia Practitioner, Certified Dementia Care Unit Manager, and Cognitive Stimulation Instructor. She has run award-winning memory care communities in assisted living and skilled nursing levels of care.

Using her 16 years of experience in working with over 1,100 people living with dementia and their families, she’s developed a system that helps families move from crisis management to confidence.

In this episode, Christy Turner, the Dementia Sherpa, discusses the #1 key to Amazingly Awesome Dementia Care.

In Christy’s article, The #1 Key to Amazingly Awesome Dementia Care, she identifies and discusses many things that care partners need to focus on to optimize the care for their loved one, and they’re all important.

We've brought that article to the podcast. So, listen and learn from her how one thing rises above them all and holds everything together.

I am so happy to have Christy Turner, the Dementia Sherpa, as a regular guest on The Alzheimer’s Podcast.

She is a Certified Dementia Practitioner, Certified Dementia Care Unit Manager, and Cognitive Stimulation Instructor. She has run award-winning memory care communities in assisted living and skilled nursing levels of care.

Using her 16 years of experience in working with over 1,100 people living with dementia and their families, she’s developed a system that helps families move from crisis management to confidence.

Be sure to visit Christy’s website at dementiasherpa.com.

Don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast so you don’t miss an episode.

Bye now