358: Rethinking Brain Change with Neuroplasticity in Mind
About this episode
Teepa Snow and Greg Phelps discuss reframing the perception of dementia from loss to brain change and adaptation.
When someone we’re supporting is living with dementia, it's easy to start cataloging the losses. They can't remember the name of the restaurant. They can't find the word. They can't follow the plan. But what if can't is only half the story? In this episode of the Dementia Care Partner Podcast, Teepa Snow and host Greg Phelps reframe one of the most quietly damaging habits in dementia care: noticing what's lost instead of noticing what's changing. The word dementia itself points to loss — but the brain is also doing something else. It's adapting. It's rewiring. And the way a care partner responds can either expose the loss or build a bridge to what's still there. In this conversation: Why brain change is a more accurate — and more useful — frame than brain loss Neurodegeneration versus neuroplasticity, and why both are happening at once A real-time example of how the same question, asked two different ways, either shames or supports How to listen for the data a person is giving you, even when the words aren't clear Why forgiving yourself as a care partner isn't optional — it's an essential skill Where to start when you don't know where to start: training, community, and the…
More episodes of Dementia Care Partner Podcast with Teepa Snow
- 357: Three Hearing Aids Later, They Still Won't Wear Them — Here's Why
- 356: Rethinking Environments for People Living with Dementia
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