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Dementia confusion, a common symptom of Alzheimer’s, can lead to recent memories being forgotten or distorted, while memories from the more remote past frequently remain intact. This can cause more distant situations to make more sense to an older person with dementia than the present. A person’s alternate reality could be the senior’s way of making sense of the present through past memories. Seniors with Alzheimer’s disease frequently experience challenges with expressing themselves, and at times their alternate reality has more to do with a need or a distinct feeling they are attempting to express than it has to do with the words they are saying. For example: “What time will my wife be home?” This question might be more about a need for affection or acceptance or a home-cooked meal than it could be about desiring to see his wife, who passed away a number of years ago. An appropriate reaction to uncover more might be, “Why do you want to see her?” “I need to take all these casseroles to our neighbors before the end of the day.” Though these casseroles do not really exist, the words could actually imply a need for purpose in daily life or

“How on earth could you think that I have dementia? There is not a thing wrong with me!” If an aging loved one with dementia has communicated sentiments such as this, you might have thought to yourself that the senior was actually in denial and reluctant to recognize such a challenging diagnosis. However, there could be a different reason: anosognosia, or the genuine unawareness that he/she is impaired by dementia. Managing anosognosia requires some delicate handling.

Seniors with COPD have needed to remain especially vigilant since the COVID-19 pandemic started. Individuals with COPD are likely at both a higher risk for experiencing symptoms of the virus along with developing more serious complications as a result. A current study published by the European Respiratory Journal reported that people with COPD were more likely to be admitted to the ICU, require ventilator care, and succumb to the virus than those without the disease.