I think I have dementia...now what?

Carol Riggenbach

Many people are facing a situation where they or a spouse or a parent has some sort of dementia. It creates an interesting situation in public, right?

The person fighting dementia doesn’t want to be pigeonholed into whispers behind their back that they must have Alzheimer’s. And, the spouse or child doesn’t want to be embarrassed when Mom or Husband keeps asking the same questions over and over when they are with their friends.

It’s ok. For one thing, not all dementias are Alzheimer’s. Dementia is a huge umbrella with many types of dementias underneath it. There are many types of dementia such as Lewy Body Disease, Vascular, Frontal Temporal, etc. There are many situations that can happen within the brain to cause some sort of dementia. So, it just makes sense that there are different behaviors and treatments to handle the various forms of dementia.

You may be fighting some memory issues. Now, I’m not talking about memory issues such as where did I put my keys. We all face issues where we just don’t remember what we did with something.

Memory issues really peak when we are in stressful situations or are trying to handle a great deal of “stuff” in our lives. So, don’t panic. Just because you may not remember every little thing, does not mean you are facing dementia. In fact, I have seen lately where people make themselves crazy so worried they are going to get dementia that the very thing they fear comes upon them.

Relax. Take care of yourself. Smile. Do some things in your diet or exercise or overall mood that create health. If you don’t know what that really means, go look it up. Pursue healthy habits.

So, you have been diagnosed with some sort of dementia. This is going to be a tough road to navigate. It will be tough on you and those around you. However, you can decide just how tough it is going to be by your decisions you make now.

Focusing on your losses will certainly make things much harder for you and your family. When we are diagnosed with physical ailments, we face those much better than a brain diagnosis. Do as much homework on the ailment as possible. This will help you and your family understand.

And, I dare say, don’t just research the ailment. Research the interventions. Research what can improve your condition or slow it down. Take this information in and decide on a game plan. Again, what do we do? We play offense as we age. Not all things can be planned for, however, there are some offensive moves that can help you win.

One thing I will tell you right now. You will need help. You will need the support of your person and your family. If you don’t have family who can support you, then figure out and decide where you would like to be where there are people who can support you.

You might need to move while you still can be involved in planning your life. At some point, many folks end up being at the mercy of other people making decisions for them. If you’re ok with just letting the chips fall as they may, that’s ok too. You have to do what works for you. It’s your life.

Remember, you’re winning. Always remembering you’re winning is an important part of your overall ability to overcome and thrive the best you can with what you are facing. Look and really see where you are winning. All of us who are alive are winning. Find where you’re winning.

Until next time, I pray for each one of you who are reading this article. God bless you and keep you and may His face shine upon you and give you His peace! You are winning! God Bless You and God Bless The United States Of America!