Nela welcomes Claire back to talk about the history, the changes in the brain, the signs and symptoms of the most common forms of dementia. In Part One we talk about Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular dementia.

Any questions please contact us on: [email protected] 

Nela talks about the changing brain with touch and comfort. How we need touch to thrive and how to adjust the environment to increase comfort levels. Hoq to engage with a person living with dementia for the best outcomes, and how to keep stress at a minimum.

Nela talks about how there are brain changes and how the affect language, speech and comprehension. how these changes show up in the person living with dementia and what we can do to assist them to understand and to initial tasks is a stress free way.

Nela talks about how the brain takes in data from our eyes to our brain, normal vision changes as we age and the changes in vision for the person living with dementia and how we can change what we do to improve our communication with them.

Chatting with a local GP and asking questions like "when should you visit the GP is visiting as early as possible important, what medications are available and what do they do? and what stages are there and how long do they last?

we also discuss the importance of getting help early. 

Carers Australia | The voice for carers across Australia

Nela talks to a diversional therapist about the importance of setting up a normal routine with some helpful tips on how to respond to some tricky situations and an explanation of why this is happening. Resource mentioned in episode: Homepage - Positive Approach to Care (teepasnow.com)

we look at some of the common signs and symptoms to look for when considering visiting the GP for a diagnosis of dementia. I give examples, tips on how to handle some of these and where to go to get some help or advice. Helpful web sites include Home | Dementia Australia and Alzheimer's & Dementia Help | Australia | Alzheimer's Association

Nela talks with Brady from his KX Pilates studio about the importance of purposeful movement for the mind and body to help reduce cognitive decline and reduce stress. They discuss how to build core strength to prevent falls and how to develop a program that will suit you so that it becomes a lifestyle rather than a chore.

What is stress? and how do we respond to it? how do people living with dementia respond to stress? what can we do about it? All the questions are looked into and discussed in this episode. Nela talks through how to bring someone down from a panic attack and how a daily routine can help to keep stress at bay.

In this episode I discuss what is normal with forgetting words and names and what is not normal. I look at how we change and adapt our style in different situations and how a person living with dementia might react and how this might look.