Understanding Alzheimer's & Dementia

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, over 16 million people in the United States are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia. The challenges that come with this responsibility are considerable. Whether you’re providing the care directly, we all seek to better appreciate what our loved ones are going through each day.

Our natural instinct is to see Alzheimer’s and dementia through our own eyes. But we can’t make sense of it without putting ourselves in the shoes of someone living with the disease.

Experts in the United Kingdom have created a series of puzzles to show the general public how to see things through the eyes of someone living with Alzheimer’s and dementia. You’ll see firsthand the frustration, the confusion and the sheer stress of it all. Nothing seems right.

Take a moment and try to solve these puzzles (on the right column), developed by Babylon Health and the Dementia Trust UK. They seem easy, but you’ll quickly discover why they cannot be solved. This cognitive experience mirrors what someone with Alzheimer’s and dementia is enduring.

If you need help with solutions to help a loved one with dementia, or perhaps to help you cope with the difficulties of being a caregiver, please e-mail directly.  Whether it’s in our Reflections Unit at Van Dyk Park Place or at the Van Dyk Memory Care Center, we are here to help your family.

Suzanne Gramuglia
Reflections Director, Van Dyk Park Place