Good dementia/caregivers story in WaPo

Rescue mom

Almost overlooked this online because the headline focus is 9-11, and how many who did recovery have serious dementia young as 50. 

But it also talks a lot—and better than most in MSM—-about what all caregivers face in dealing with any dementia at home, the problems and what’s needed, etc.. I rarely see that done much or so well in a general-interest story/publication like the Washington Post.

My links never work, but you can Google and it comes up quick; or maybe someone else can link.

Ed1937

I'm not sure if this is it. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/dementia-alzheimers-covid-research-link/2021/07/29/bccef096-f07d-11eb-a452-4da5fe48582d_story.html

Ed1937

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/dementia-alzheimers-covid-research-link/2021/07/29/bccef096-f07d-11eb-a452-4da5fe48582d_story.html  Not sure if this is it.

Crushed

Ed1937 wrote:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/dementia-alzheimers-covid-research-link/2021/07/29/bccef096-f07d-11eb-a452-4da5fe48582d_story.html  Not sure if this is it.

No its a worthwhile story but not the right one

This appears to be the one your want
 
 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2021/08/30/911-first-responders-dementia/

The work starts early. It never really ends. Ron wakes up between 5 and 6 a.m. He likes to walk around the house. Dawn makes breakfast, cuts his food into small bites — so Ron won’t choke — and feeds him as he comes and goes from the kitchen, one forkful at a time. She then shaves his face, brushes his teeth and gives him anti-seizure medication.

Some mornings, Ron will nap. Some mornings, he won’t. Nothing is predictable, and everything is fraught. Ron swallows his toothpaste. He struggles to step into the shower. He resists when Dawn tries to change his pants, or take off his shoes, or get him in and out of their car. “At one point, he was infatuated with my slippers and would put them in his mouth,” she says. “It’s very erratic. You have to be able to deal with that.”

Before Ron slid into dementia, he and Dawn would take daily, hour-long walks. Today, anything over 15 minutes is a challenge. In the afternoons, Dawn drives Ron to a coffee shop, then to a nearby lake to look at geese. “He used to love birds,” she says.

Ed1937

Thanks. I'm sure the one you linked to is the right one. Funny that the one I linked to I was able to access, but your link required a subscription.

Rescue mom

Thanks Ed, but crushed linked is the story I meant, with the hook of  9-11 first responders…sorry if a paywall, sometimes Google or another search engine can get around that. 

It’s pretty long for a copy/paste, but maybe…I have rarely, basically never, seen a third-party reporter portray so well what caregiving for serious dementia involves/requires, regardless of what caused the dementia. More people should see the story, the problem is only going to grow.

Doityourselfer

I can definitely relate to that article.  Nothing is predictable.

NylaBlue

Ed, it may be because the story you linked to is related to COVID-19. Many media paywalls allow free access to COVID articles.