BETH REINERT – GUEST OPINION

Advocate seeks to change perception of dementia

Have you ever been asked the question, “Who would you most want to have dinner with?” My answer is Teepa Snow, an award-winning occupational therapist who has made it her mission to help family and professional caregivers do a better job of caring for people with dementia.

Snow is a mentor and voice of confidence for the millions living with the disease. I have learned from her teachings to better understand how to help my mom live with dementia.

I caught up with Snow recently in Mobile while she was there for a speaking engagement. We chatted for several hours about our shared focus: advocating for men and women who have dementia.

Dementia is an umbrella term that covers 70 to 80 conditions of brain failure. A dementia diagnosis is lifealtering for not only the person living with the disease, but also for the person’s family.

More than 50 percent of diagnosed types of dementia are Alzheimer’s cases, but often a secondary dementia emerges as the disease progresses.

Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S. No pill will take this problem away, so the key to a positive outcome is how caregivers manage our actions, words and reactions.

Snow has a message not only for families and care professionals, but also for all of society. “Policemen, firefighters, emergency room workers, postal service and bank employees all need to be familiar with the signs of dementia.” she said.

“We as a society must have a basic awareness of dementia and embrace people living with dementia instead of labeling them as demented people.”

Snow wants to change the perception of how dementia is viewed, take away the negative terminology and create the right setting and care for men and women with dementia.

At risk herself

Snow’s popularity took off in the late ‘90s after she presented a staff training model at the International Alzheimer Meeting in Washington, D.C. Her DVD, “Accepting the Challenge,” has been widely distributed. She is the most prominent educator for training on all aspects of Alzheimer’s disease care. That is why her calendar is booked through 2015.

Snow also has a history of dementia on both her mother’s side and father’s side of the family.

She knows she is at risk for developing the disease, so she is living life carefully by making good choices. She keeps physically fit, manages stress with yoga and deep breathing, and eats well.

Snow’s website, teepasnow. com, is full of information that both professional and family caregivers should see.

Free webinars can be accessed from her Dementia Care Academy, and DVDs are available for purchase. Not everyone can attend her workshops, but anyone with Internet access can learn from her teachings.

With the coming tide of senior baby boomers on the horizon, everyone needs to know about dementia. We should all get to know what Snow has to say about it.

Beth Reinert advocates for people living with Alzheimer’s disease. She authors the blog Caregiversunite.org, which includes general news and advice for families coping with the disease, along with event listings for the south Alabama area.

Printed in AL.com, Press-Register, September 18, 2013, page 10A

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