Navigating Memory Loss: Essential Questions and Answers on Alzheimer's and Dementia

In this episode of the Living with Alzheimer's podcast, Christoph interviews Dr. Catherine Madison, a Bay Area neurologist who founded the Ray Dolby Brain Health Center and recently authored Navigating Memory Loss: Essential Questions and Answers on Alzheimer's and Dementia.

As Christoph and Catherine discuss the book, Catherine shares several insights about dementia diagnosis and care. Catherine provides an overview of different dementia types and their common symptoms. They discuss the phenomenon of anosognosia, where individuals with dementia are unable to recognize changes in their own cognitive abilities. And they discuss how "therapeutic fibbing" can help avoid agitation for the person living with dementia.

Catherine emphasizes the importance of early evaluation and neuropsychological testing for individuals with memory concerns, and highlights recent advancements in dementia treatments that can significantly slow progression of the disease.

Catherine describes how her visit to the Hogeweyk® Dementia Village in the Netherlands influenced the section of her book comparing a "medical model" of care, which is focused on diagnosis and treatment, to a "social model" of care, which prioritizes quality of life and comfort.

Catherine wraps up by emphasizing the importance of individuals documenting their wishes for end-of-life care in an advanced directive. She shares the tools in her book designed to help people communicate their priorities regarding interventions like CPR, feeding tubes, and antibiotics, especially as it relates to care choices if they have become cognitively impaired by dementia.

You can find Catherine’s book at Copperfield’s Books and on Amazon.