Teepa Snow, one of the world’s leading educators on dementia, was at the R.K. MacDonald Nursing Home, July 7, conducting a session for healthcare providers on assisting those with dementia.
Chatting with the Casket during a short break in the lively training session, Snow talked about breaking down stigmas around dementia and improving awareness.
“We have to stop acting like this is something weird and unusual; dementia is a part of people’s lives,” Snow said.
“One in five families right now and one in two within 15 to 20 years … it’s everywhere.”
“We have to stop talking like it’s all horrible. It’s hard, we’re not going to say it isn’t, but we have to figure out how to live with it. We’re talking eight to 12 years of symptoms on average. Families are dealing with it and they don’t even know they are dealing with it, which is craziness.”
This excerpt reproduced with permission from the generous staff of The Casket. Read the full piece here.