Glimpse the realities of life with dementia

TAMPA - An exhibit that offers a glimpse into what it's like to suffer from dementia visits the area Friday.

The Virtual Dementia Tour, a hands-on program that highlights the disease's physical and mental challenges, is designed to help family, friends and caregivers understand the complexities of the condition. The tour includes tips and tools that can assist in creating a favorable environment for people suffering varying losses of brain function.

Dementia describes a collection of symptoms associated with brain disorders, says the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The most common form of dementia in Americans older than 65 is Alzheimer's disease, which affects 4 million Americans.

This is a devastating disease and affected me personally as I had to live and take care of my mother the last years of her life. She became increasingly confused, forgetful, afraid and eventually was really unable to preform any complex cognitive function. She Almost need complete care like a child. To watch a vibrant, intelligent woman deteriorate so fast was heartbreaking. 1 year.
Cudos to Tampa for having a program to help people understand this disease. This should be implemented everywhere.

www2.tbo.com...

[edit on 4-6-2009 by whaaa]

My grandfather suffered from dementia also. When my grand mother was around he seemed better but when she was gone he would get really bad, not even remembering his fondest memories, he would also get worse at night. My grandma passed away on the 26th of this month and I was moving my grandpa in my house and 2 days later he had a massive stroke, the worst the hospital had seen,major bleeding in the 3 chambers of the brain. He died from it on the 30th. It's crazy because he was seeing my grandma right before the stroke.He was also having moments of clarity where he actually remembered she died. I guess love knows no boundaries and as my 11 year old son put it,"now he can remember and he's with mama" I'm happy that they have this service to offer to families, to help them understand what people suffering with dementia go though. Kudos to you for posting this!Peace.