EP #7: The Evolutionary Path of Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease

Ever wondered how dementia and Alzheimer's evolve within a patient? Join us as we journey through the stages of these diseases with co-hosts, Kristi Gurule and Jeremy Wolf, shedding light on early signs and when to seek professional help. We focus on the fluctuating nature of these diseases, the progression to debilitating stages, and the heartbreaking experiences of patients transitioning to full-time care units or end of life.

As we navigate this challenging terrain, we highlight the role of Comfort Keepers, a non-skilled agency that provides care, companionship, and support for patients and their families. We discuss our successful partnerships with skilled medical professionals, that allows us to offer comprehensive care at home. Listen as we share our experiences, from early detection to end-of-life care, while aiming to raise awareness, educate, and provide invaluable insights to help families navigate these challenging times.

Please visit our website for more information: https://www.comfortkeepers.com/offices/florida/davie/

or contact: [phone]

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Comfort Keepers Davy podcast,
where we elevate the humanspirit.
Here's your host, christyGrulay.

Jeremy (00:11):
Hello everyone and welcome to Comfort Keepers Davy
podcast.
I'm your co-host, jeremy Wolfe.
If I could speak today, we'd bein good shape.
It is Monday, so, christy, howare you doing?

Kristi (00:25):
It's a Monday, great.

Jeremy (00:28):
I'm excited.
I'm excited.
So we've been talking a littlebit about various stages of
dementia and Alzheimer's andsigns to look for and the kind
of that progression and how thatworks and what you see in your
industry when you're in a homeand somebody is suffering from
early onset dementia orAlzheimer's and you guys are

(00:48):
helping out.
What are some of the signs thatyou guys look for, that it may
be time for you guys to actuallybring in some outside help or
take them to a medicalprofessional.

Kristi (00:57):
Right, that's a really, really loaded.
We could be here for hoursdiscussing all the different
scenarios that I've seen playout, but ultimately what my team
?
What we have to remember isthat we're a non-skilled agency.
Right, so we have many skills,but we can't replace the skills
that are brought out by an RN.

(01:18):
We can't replace a nurse.
Okay, so the very you know,later, later stages of
Alzheimer's are just, they'reterrible and debilitating, and
so if it gets to the point wherea client cannot take medication
regularly, they have to takemedication because, remember, we
can't give medication, we canonly remind that.

(01:41):
If they're not able to taketheir medication, that's
something.
So take me out of the factorfor that.
If they're requiring any typeof IV fluids because they're not
drinking or eating, that'sagain another thing I wouldn't
be able to administer that.
Again, we're there to ensuresomeone's safety, but to the
point where we know that theseare the parameters that we can

(02:03):
operate under.
And if someone gets to thatstage, it wouldn't be an
overnight thing.
Family would obviously know too.
But this is really where we canhave a great partnership with a
skilled agency.
Okay, so we can still be inthere to help do personal care.
We can still help bathe, groom,hair, their mouth care, we can

(02:26):
help with toileting, all ofthose things we can help with,
and then a skilled agency cancome in and just do the medical
part of it, giving themedication or if there's
anything else again that Icannot do under state
regulations, and we've done thatmany times.
There's some really greatpartnerships that we've created
to be able to provide like thewhole services still in the

(02:48):
comfort of someone's home.

Jeremy (02:53):
Interesting, interesting .
So I was going to say somethingand I lost my train of thought.
I'm curious have you seen, inworking with families that are
in many cases suffering fromdementia or Alzheimer's, is this
and again I'm speaking, this ismore, maybe a medical question,
but I'm curious to know yourfeedback on it.

(03:14):
Is this a completely lineartype of disease where it just
continues to get worse?
Or is it nonlinear, whereassomebody, maybe one day they're
not doing really well, and thenthe next day it seems that I'd
imagine that that would be thecase right, and then the next
day it seems like they're fineand then it can get worse.
It's just, it's not.

Kristi (03:34):
it's not as cut and dry as just being a gradual
progression, right, right rightand again, everybody is
different, but especially earlyon, you will see like it was a
great day.
I'll hear this a lot fromfamilies.
It was a great day for momtoday.
It was a great day.
She was in a good mood, sheremembered a lot, she had a good
appetite.
So that's a good day.
On a bad day, mom may forgetthe people that are in the room

(03:58):
with her, she may be a lot morecombative, not her normal
personality.
That's a bad day for mom.
So you do see that a lot.
When you get, like I said, intothe very, very last stages of
dementia or Alzheimer's, you'velost your ability to talk, your
ability to eat, like that's.

(04:19):
That is the most debilitatingstage.
But they're in, they're in thebeginning and middle.
You will see good day, bad day,just like us, we all have a
good day and a bad day, aclearer day than others, a more
energetic day than others.
So it is, you do see that.

Jeremy (04:33):
Have you ever got had a situation I'm sure you have in
the time you've been doing thiswhere you you were with a family
and somebody was progressingthrough this and it got to the
point where you just couldn't doanything for them anymore in
their own home and there wasjust the only option left was to
bring them to either assistedliving or kind of end of the
road care.
I'm sure that's unfortunatelyhappens from time to time.

Kristi (04:56):
Yes, yes, we have been there.
We've been there in bothscenarios where a family member
is now being placed in a unitthat is specifically for
Alzheimer's 24 hour, around theclock care, and we've also been
there at the very, like you said, the very later, later stages.
And again, we will be thereproviding as much comfort as we

(05:20):
can in the ways that we can, andwe've been requested just to be
there as companionship towardthe end, because we're a
familiar face.
We've become a family memberessentially to that family that
we are serving and they want usto be there for their mom their
dad realizing that we're notdoing a whole lot, that really,
what we are doing is now helpingmore of the family than their

(05:43):
loved one.

Jeremy (05:45):
Yeah, so so important.
I mean, this is such a it'ssuch a traumatic topic.
It's certainly fascinating andit's something that so many
people have to deal with andit's good to raise awareness and
help kind of educate and shareand just just give little plant,
little seeds with people, justso something they hear through

(06:06):
these conversations can just getthem to kind of look out for
certain things or just noticesomething that they otherwise
may not have noticed.
That can cause them to at leaststart asking questions and
start opening the door toconversations like that, or or
even just taking care ofyourself better, you know
throughout your life which isprobably the most important
thing.

Kristi (06:25):
Right now right.

Jeremy (06:27):
Absolutely.

Kristi (06:28):
All of those things.
If anybody takes any tidbit outof any of these podcasts, it
really is.
Really is just that, the eyeopening and, again, conversation
starters.

Jeremy (06:40):
All right, sounds good.
Christy, I always a pleasure.
I say this too often, but ittruly is Thank you.
Yeah we'll catch you next time.
Everyone, thanks for tuning in.
We'll see you soon.

Speaker 1 (06:53):
Thank you for listening to the Comfort Keepers
Davy podcast.
For more information, visitcomfort keeperscom or call
954-947-7927.