Cognitive Presence transforms the caregiving journey for both professionals and family members with tools to reach, encourage and enjoy those they serve.
Cognitive Presence introduces an innovative training approach that empowers caregivers to evaluate capacities rather than deficits. Through our Brain Mapping instruction, we teach families, professionals and direct care givers how neural damage in specific types of dementia should alter approaches to care. Cognitive development is explained with corresponding instruction in the progression of cogn
07/19/2022
Anxious and avoidant attachment are related to cognitive functioning in older couples New research provides evidence that insecure attachment is associated with cognitive functioning in older couples. The findings have been published in the Journal of Research in Personality. ...
03/28/2020
Robotic Cat Brings Joy to Seniors with Dementia – DailyCaring Seniors with dementia often get anxious or agitated. This robotic toy cat is calming & cuddly. It responds to petting & hugging with purrs, meows, movement
This is an excellent video for your senior living staff to watch ASAP. It explains the importance of slowing the virus now.
08/08/2017
Notice that professionals are so confident of the alzheimer's-insulin connection, we are beginning to refer to alzheimer' s as Type 3 diabetes
5 Hidden Causes of Alzheimer’s Disease Most People Don’t Know About | David Wolfe TV 5 Hidden Causes of Alzheimer’s Disease Most People Don’t Know About Alzheimer’s can be an extremely debilitating disease, and millions of Americans are effected by it each year. Decades of research have shown that a buildup of toxic proteins in the brain – beta amyloid and tau – can lead to Alzheime...
04/27/2017
"I’m particularly concerned with how often I see people abandon their friends and family afflicted with dementia at a time when they need help the most." Says Dr. Agronin.
There is a better way: seek out support groups, lean on friends, and arm yourself for the journey. It's sometimes long, frequently confusing and frustrating, with intermittent showers of humor and joy.
Why Many People Abandon Friends and Family with Dementia–and Shouldn’t There's a lot that can be done to break negative and avoidant behaviors that impede the care and quality of life for individuals with various forms of dementia, says WSJ Retirement and Health Care Expert Marc Agronin.
04/26/2017
Wonder why some of those "behaviors" or other drastic changes suddenly appeared? Start your research with the meds.
The Top Drugs for Older Adults to Avoid As you age, you may be more sensitive to some medications' side effects.
04/22/2017
In case you've wondered, sadly the person with dementia may be very aware of his decline in the beginning. See their heart wrenching notes here:
16 Things You Didn't Know Happened In Dementia You think of dementia as involving memory loss and confusion. But there's a lot more to it than that.
03/01/2017
What is a Positive Approach to Dementia care? Check out this month's Online Dementia Journal.
02/26/2017
Have you found yourself begging, cajoling and rationalizing? Let go of the impossible to find hope.
01/25/2017
We've made significant investment in funding, treating, and curing all of the top ten diseases that are killing Americans - except one. With many years of low funding, awareness, research, and treatment options, Alzheimer's has increased the death toll by 71% in the last decade and it seems everyone is scrambling to catch up. Learn more:
Alzheimer’s: Every Minute Counts, premieres Wednesday, January 25, 2017, at 10 pm ET on PBS.
New PBS Film Addresses Alzheimer's, The 'Biggest Epidemic In Medical History' “Seventy-one million baby boomers are heading for the risk age. It will be the biggest epidemic in medical history,” said Dr. Rudolph Tanzi, who co-discovered all three early-onset familial Alzheimer’s disease genes. "Alzheimer’s: Every Minute Counts," premieres January 25 at 10 pm ET on PBS.
For many of you who followed my LifeSwell services for seniors page, a word of thanks for your support and explanation of the new Cognitive Presence name... For the past two years, I have had the great fortune of opening the finest memory care community in the country for Kensington Senior Living. It is Kensington Place, Redwood City, California. Heartfelt thanks to Tiffany Tomasso, Dan Gorham, David Faeder, Steve Lampa and Billy Shields. They are the owners of Kensington and my former Sunrise Senior Living colleagues. They fueled my passion for "inventing the best memory care yet". They have given me the opportunity to focus on my obsession for improved cognitive care training by allowing me the resources and time to develop memory care training for their West Coast communities as well as serving as the opening Executive Director in Redwood City. As of today, LifeSwell has evolved into a new entity that reflects my strong desire to change the face of "memory care" in to "cognitive care". Cognitive Care focuses on abilities rather than deficits. For decades, we have labeled the care we provide for those with Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Lewy Body dementia, Frontal Lobe dementia and vascular dementia into a broad category called memory care. While memory loss is a part of dementia, it may not be the most horrific challenge in providing love, nurture and joy to those affected by it. Visual perception, spatial interpretation, sensory deficits, coordination and impaired motor skills are as detrimental as "memory loss". It has become my passion to broaden the training modalities to focus on the "cognitive presence" or abilities retained rather than struggling with the deficits this horrific disease brings. Having just completed Teepa Snow's Positive Approach to Care certification, I will be providing training, coaching and consulting to senior services organizations, educational support for families and caregivers, and public speaking engagements at conferences around the country. Thank you for your support and encouragement and join me in the journey... as we explore the change from memory care to cognitive care!