Dementia expert Teepa Snow teaches helpful techniques

Far more than simple memory loss, dementia is brain change.  The brains of those with dementia shrink and eventually look more like a toddler’s. The wiring no longer works the way it used to. 

That’s why people living with dementia may struggle to express their thoughts, use curse words when they never did before, lose vision, and no longer hear consonants when others speak to them.   

They can’t help it. So family and professional caregivers must change their responses to challenging situations. We must build new skills to be supportive and create moments of joy, rather than anger and frustration.  

That was the key message from Teepa and her daughter, Amanda Bulgarelli, as they taught capacity crowds at Diamond Event Center on June 11 and 12.

Amanda and Teepa demonstrate helpful techniques before asking the audience to practice.

“They’re still who they are, but different – and the brain will keep changing,” Teepa explains. “That means we need to let go of what was, to be present for what is.” 

Teepa and Larry Martin, who started a dementia education fund through Western Home Foundation, perform a skit together.