Beyond Myths and Lies Toward Truth and Hope: On Compassionate Person-Centered Care for Alzheimer’s and Dementia with Lisa Skinner

About this episode

Arash Farzaneh interviews Lisa Skinner about compassionate care for Alzheimer's and dementia, challenging myths and discussing person-centered approaches.

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with behavioral expert, certified dementia practitioner and trainer Lisa Skinner about her book “Truth, Lies, and Alzheimer’s: Its Secret Faces.” We dive into the complexities of Alzheimer’s and dementia, challenging the common myths that surround these conditions while also acknowledging that Alzheimer’s and dementia are often misunderstood, with many people, even professionals, mistakenly believing they are just a normal part of aging (they are not). That said, we also touch upon the differences between normal forgetfulness and signs and symptoms of dementia and note that occasional memory lapses are indeed a normal part of aging and should not be a cause for concern. However, when memory issues become frequent and start to impact daily life, it would be recommended to seek help. Lisa explains that dementia is caused by over 100 different brain diseases but that a diagnosis does not mean life is over. We explore how people living with dementia, as well as their families and caregivers, can still find meaning, purpose, and joy within a diagnosis. We can help our loved ones live meaningful lives by focusing on person-centered…

People in this episode

Host: Arash Farzaneh

Guest: Lisa Skinner

Topics covered

• Alzheimer's
• dementia
• person-centered care
• myths
• compassionate care
• memory issues

Keywords

• Alzheimer's
• dementia
• person-centered care
• memory issues
• myths
• compassion

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Truth, Lies, and Alzheimer’s: Its Secret Faces

Places: Alzheimer’s, dementia

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