Showtime and LBD

This week's video by Pat Snyder, author of Treasures in the Darkness and LBD teacher, is short, less than 5 minutes. But it speaks to a very important issue. Showtime, where a person living with LBD appears more normal for a period of time, is a symptom that can make diagnosis and treatment difficult. It can cause family members to doubt your stories about difficult behavior. Pat makes some very good suggestions for dealing with this symptom.

I'd like to add that your loved one has no control over when Showtime comes and goes. It just happens. We as humans all have urges to please people we respect, such as doctors and visiting family members.  You and I can choose to act on those urges or not. Our loved ones can't. They have the urge and they act. Even though the behavior is subconscious, appearing "normal" is hard, exhausting work. Once it ends, your loved one will probably sleep for hours.

Pat recommends in her video that you go back and view her previous video on the Five Moving Parts (date) for more information about how Showtime comes about. I'd also recommend our books, especially Responsive Dementia Care, which focuses on behavioral issues. Both are great for sharing with others as well.

To watch this week's video, click on the title: Lewy Body Dementia and "Showtime"

Next week, Pat will speak about choosing a doctor and getting a diagnosis.

For more information about Lewy body disorders, read our books:
A Caregivers’ Guide to Lewy Body Dementia
Managing Cognitive Issues in Parkinson's and Lewy Body Dementia
Responsive Dementia Care: Fewer Behaviors Fewer Drugs
Lewy Body Dementia: A Manual for Staff

Helen and James Whitworth are not doctors, lawyers or social workers. As informed caregivers, they share the information here for educational purposes only. It should never be used instead of a professional's advice.

Personify the Disease

This week's 15 minute video by Pat Snyder, author of Treasures in the Darkness and LBD teacher, talks about making the disease the third person in the room. "It's Lewy, not my loved one." Or to a loved one: "Lewy is messing with your ability to talk." Blaming the disease makes it easier to deal with difficult behavior. It also decreases your loved one's frustration.

But she also talks a lot about some other very important things, including improv acting , being legally prepared and the value of sleep. I hope that eventually she'll do a video about each of these subjects because they are also very important.

Click on the title to watch the video:  Personifying the Disease.

Next week, Pat talks about Showtime, a common LBD symptom that often goes unrecognized even by the medical community.

For more information about Lewy body disorders, read our books:
A Caregivers’ Guide to Lewy Body Dementia
Managing Cognitive Issues in Parkinson's and Lewy Body Dementia
Responsive Dementia Care: Fewer Behaviors Fewer Drugs
Lewy Body Dementia: A Manual for Staff

Helen and James Whitworth are not doctors, lawyers or social workers. As informed caregivers, they share the information here for educational purposes only. It should never be used instead of a professional's advice.

LBD's Five Ps

This week, Pat Snyder, author of Treasures in the Darkness and LBD teacher, talks about LBD's Five Ps. Pat's primary mission is to make your dementia journey more gentle for everyone. In this one, Pat teaches us five ways to act to maintain a safer, more gentle environment. (Remember YOU can make choices. Your loved one can't--they must simply react to the first urge they get.)

• Be positive
• Be proactive
• Be perceptive
• Be persistent
• Personify the disease

Enjoy this 8.5 minute video by clicking on the title: A More Gentle Dementia Caregiver Journey: The 5 P's.

Pat has already expanded on one of these parts: Personify the disease. That will be next week's video. I hope that eventually, she'll do a video on each of them.

For more information about Lewy body disorders, read our books:
A Caregivers’ Guide to Lewy Body Dementia
Managing Cognitive Issues in Parkinson's and Lewy Body Dementia
Responsive Dementia Care: Fewer Behaviors Fewer Drugs
Lewy Body Dementia: A Manual for Staff

Helen and James Whitworth are not doctors, lawyers or social workers. As informed caregivers, they share the information here for educational purposes only. It should never be used instead of a professional's advice.

LBD's Five Moving Parts

This week's video is from Pat Snyder again. It is actually her first video about living with her husband John, who died with Lewy body dementia in 2015. She's been teaching and writing about LBD since well before that and her videos are well worth listening to. In this one, Pat describes five major symptoms of LBD in alphabetical order--to make them easier for you to remember. A couple of comments:

• I find it interesting that she connect behavior and mood. There is definitely a connection and but I've usually listed them separately.
• I teach that LBD is more of a thinking disorder than a memory disorder. Pat also discusses how LBD's cognitive issues are different from the memory loss common with Alzheimer's.

I could go on making comments but I think the best thing is for you to just listen to Pat's video. Jim and I may teach about LBD a little differently, but we definitely agree with everything she says. I especially like her final statement. "Of all dementias, LBD is the most responsive to treatment--as long as it is the right treatment." What a positive ending!

Click on the title to see the video: Five Moving Parts.

Next week, Pat again goes alphabetical and talks about the Five Ps.

For more information about Lewy body disorders, read our books:
A Caregivers’ Guide to Lewy Body Dementia
Managing Cognitive Issues in Parkinson's and Lewy Body Dementia
Responsive Dementia Care: Fewer Behaviors Fewer Drugs
Lewy Body Dementia: A Manual for Staff

Helen and James Whitworth are not doctors, lawyers or social workers. As informed caregivers, they share the information here for educational purposes only. It should never be used instead of a professional's advice.

The Nightmare of Poop

For the next few weeks, I've invited Pat Snyder, author of Treasures in the Darkness, to talk to us via Youtube. Her first video is about a subject that most dementia care partners have to deal with eventually and one that can be very stressful. In fact it was several stressful entries in an online support group that prompted Pat to make this video. Right now is a fairly stressful time already and we don't need more stress. I hope that her suggestions help you to limit the stress in your life--and your loved one's!

And so set aside 20 minutes to sit back and relax while you watch Pat's video on The Nightmare of Poop.

Next week, Pat will be back with another video.

For more information about Lewy body disorders, read our books:
A Caregivers’ Guide to Lewy Body Dementia
Managing Cognitive Issues in Parkinson's and Lewy Body Dementia
Responsive Dementia Care: Fewer Behaviors Fewer Drugs
Lewy Body Dementia: A Manual for Staff

Helen and James Whitworth are not doctors, lawyers or social workers. As informed caregivers, they share the information here for educational purposes only. It should never be used instead of a professional's advice.