Cognitively Speaking: Recent Episodes
LILY WILLIAMS
Do you struggle to understand the intricacies of Dementia/Alzheimer’s or head injury related cognitive impairments? Join Lily Williams as she delves into the intriguing stories and complexities of cognitive impairments with caregivers, persons with a diagnosis, Neurological and Gerontology experts. If you need help understanding the impact of cognitive impairments and want more information, resources, and support this podcast is for you!
Traumatic brain injuries cause a person to change cognitively. These changes may apply to their behavior, abilities, and intellect. This podcast episode encourages caregivers of those suffering with a traumatic brain injury to use education as a way to better understand and provide care.
The standards of care - when the caregiver has been forced into the role of “caregiver”, or they may not have been given the necessary tools or resources to help them to follow the standards of care, negligence and harm can occur. The caregiver may reach a point that they become mentally unstable and need other people to help them find balance so that they can be a caregiver again. This episode discusses ways that caregivers that feel overwhelmed or burned out can apply to avoid negligence to others.
🎙This episode provides sound advice to caregivers that are experiencing inappropriate sexual behaviors from their clients with Dementia. Indecent exposure, arousal, verbal unwanted sexual advances, and inappropriate comments and touching can lead to these Dementia patients receiving new sex offense charges for those that have no prior history or added charges for those that have a past that includes prior sexual offensive charges.
The documentary “Where is Wendy Williams” has caused a lot of buzz and talk. Heavy alcohol drinking over a long period of time has unfortunately reared its symptoms on the “pop culture radio and Daytime television show Queen”. Some viewers of the documentary say she is reaping what she has sowed, others are saying watching her in her current state of mind makes them feel uncomfortable. In this podcast episode I will share my input as a caregiver on this type of dementia and the need for communication training as part of her restorative care when she is on the road to recovery from alcohol abuse.
🎙In honor of Mrs. Rosalynn Carter, this podcast episode discusses the importance of resources for caregivers. Mrs. Carter was a fierce advocate for those caregivers that needed resources that had obvious disparities in how they were distributed. She worked hard for equal distribution of the resources that caregivers need to be able to be true caregivers.
🎙This podcast episode discusses the effects of sugar on our mental and cognitive capacity as well as the dependency it creates in us, as well as other health issues that develop as a result of excess sugar intake.
This week’s topic discusses the current United States of America Commander in Chief’s health. Many speculations are being made that he is too old for the job and on the decline cognitively and physically due to his age! This episode will shed some light on the topic and provide some brain candy that we all need!
Caregiving is a challenge! I want you to be successful at it and push through! The benefits of the care that you provide is immeasurable and is much needed!
This week we will discuss what makes a memory, how exactly memories are made and what makes a person that has a memory impairment unable to make or recall a memory.
When a person with dementia is no longer able to worship or perform acts of their spiritual faith or religion should caregivers provide care that is still inclusive of their religious faith and or spirituality?
When it comes to protecting yourself and your personal space as a caregiver, you have to be able to identify when your patient is becoming angry. This week’s podcast helps to identify ways to prevent the situation from getting out of control.
The LGBTQ + with Dementia is a growing community. This week's podcast episode will discuss some of the ways that cognitive impairment in someone that identifies as LGBTQ + should be cared for by true caregivers.
Losing language skills by reverting back to a native language or converting from the native language to another is apparently very common in persons with dementia. This week’s podcast dives into the many ways that bilingualism and multilingualism may be affected by dementia.
🎙 On this week’s podcast episode we will discuss some of the information that is primed into our minds during childhood development that we tend to never forget and is embedded into our memory. Dementia patients still have primed information that’ll never leave their memory.
Post traumatic stress disorder is a cognitive memory that may cause flashbacks of a traumatic experience that a person has experienced. On this week’s podcast episode we will discuss what happens to those cognitive memories or flashbacks when a person has dementia.
On this week's podcast episode, we are discussing the differences between amnesia and dementia. Both involve memory loss but are very different and have very different effects on the hippocampus section of our brains. Tune in to find out how.
🎙As a caregiver, we hear the phrase (move toward the light) more often than we should when caring for patients that may be transitioning away from life. This phrase can also take on a new meaning and help caregivers to balance their life and transition into life when it becomes difficult.
As a caregiver, I had to learn early on of the many risk factors that may play a role in and lead up to elder abuse. Some of those risk factors that we need to take into consideration may include psychological well-being, mental health issues, hereditary and traumatic factors, personality characteristics, and level of intellectuality all can be contributing factors that can lead up to a person being abused by someone that does not have the ability to recognize these risk factors when they are being exhibited in behaviors.
As caregivers of someone with Dementia, or a cognitive impairment we should join their reality. By not correcting them, allows us as caregivers the chance to escape our reality for a little while. We build bonds by reminiscing with them. This can result into peaceful and joyous moments for them as well as us.
On this podcast episode we will discuss the role that the hormone Oxytocin plays in our brain from infantry to elderly, and in those suffering with Dementia. Please be advised that this episode is graphic in detail to share specific details.
In this week’s podcast episode we will discuss the NFL’s handling of 24 year old Tua Tagovailoa’s on the field head trauma, Muhammad Ali’s Parkinson’s disease and my personal concussion experience.
Following a healthy diet along with exercise has significant benefits to joint mobility, anxiety and brain health. This episode shares caregiving tips on implementing sensory experiences to improve physical, spiritual, and emotional well being for those with or without cognitive decline.
Does race, generational values, and cultural values dictate how caregivers provide care or influence how the recipient of the care feels about receiving it?
We live in a let's fix it society. Everywhere that you turn to look there is someone promoting or selling something with a guarantee to fix something. If you have wrinkles, there is a fix for that. If you have a runny nose, there is a fix for that. If you have what you may consider an ugly nose, there is even a fix for that! (Lol) However, there is no fix for proactive dementia friendly and safe neighborhoods for persons that live at home and my wander off into their community or neighborhoods.
A tale of two cities, Parkinson's with and without Lewy Body Dementia. Parkinson's is a disorder that cannot be cured just like dementia. However, it can be treated with medication to control the symptoms of tremors and movement disorders. Parkinson's just like dementia is being diagnosed in persons of younger ages. In this podcast episode I had the pleasure of interviewing Mrs. Peggy Koops with her permission, to discuss her Parkinson's disease diagnosis at the age of 40.
There is no cure for dementia. There are treatments for specific types of dementias, but no cures. Explorations into the brain and its many discoveries and insights about dementia will continue and hopefully one day there will be a cure.
What does a person that is having a bad day do when they are having a bad day? Most people will cry, pray, eat comfort foods, talk it over with someone they trust, or isolate themselves until they get themselves together so to speak. What does a person with Dementia do when they are having a bad day? If someone with Dementia is having a bad day typically their behaviors are out of control. Sometimes just like a person that does not have Dementia, needs extra space and time to sort things out. Persons with Dementia also need extra space and time to sort things out as best as they can. As caregivers we then need to let go of the things that we cannot control. This is for our own benefit. This is a tremendous and merciful benefit to caregivers once mastered to diffuse the power struggle.
If you think the loved one you are caring for with Dementia has sundowners, delusions or hallucinations please seek the medical advice from a Neurologist. Neurologists specialize in disorders of the brain and nervous system. They generally have the expertise to diagnose these symptoms and dementia.
Caring for someone with dementia is life changing. We as caregivers really just want to be heard. We want someone to listen to our stories of caregiver grief, isolation, frustration, and the good times!
With all types of dementia, mood and social skills are highly impacted. It is not just their memory and behavior. However, as caregivers we need to understand that their behaviors may be actions or reactions towards us. The behaviors can be positive or negative. These actions or reactions may be the only form of communication that we receive from a person with dementia. We need to be mindful of how we respond to what they say or do.