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Angela Lunde
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Angela Lunde
Angela Lunde is a dementia education specialist in the education core of Mayo Clinic's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the Abigail Van Buren Alzheimer's Disease Research Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Angela Lunde
The transfer of information about dementias, as well as understanding the need for participation in clinical trials, is an essential component of the education core.
Angela is a member of the Alzheimer's Association board of directors and co-chair of the annual Minnesota Dementia Conference. She is a member of the Dementia Behavior Assessment and Response Team (D-BART), a multidisciplinary outreach service assisting professional and family caregivers in understanding and managing difficult behaviors often present in dementia. She facilitates several support groups, including Memory Club, an early-stage education and support series, and more recently, helped to develop and now deliver Healthy Action to Benefit Independence and Thinking (HABIT), a 10-day cognitive rehab and wellness program for people with mild cognitive impairment.
Angela takes a personal interest in understanding the complex changes that take place within relationships and among families when dementia is present. She is particularly interested in providing innovative and accessible ways for people with dementia and their families to receive information and participate in valuable programs that promote well-being.
"Amid a devastating disease, there are tools, therapies, programs and ways to cope, and it is vital that families are connected to these resources," she says.
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Alzheimer's blog
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Dec. 19, 2007
Simplicity: A special holiday gift
By Angela Lunde
With the holidays in full swing, some caregivers may be feeling that you should 'live up' to the expectations of family traditions or you may have thoughts of how things 'ought to be.' Memories may surface and create reminders of what has changed. You may believe that this is a time when you should be happy, and instead you may feel increased stress, disappointment, and incredible sadness.
The caregiver and author Lela Knox Shanks ("Your Name Is Hughes Hannibal Shanks," 1996, University of Nebraska Press) writes, "When AD caregivers accept the reality of the disease, we see solutions to daily problems more clearly. Non-acceptance is like banging one's head against a wall. It is our non-acceptance of the present reality that feeds into depression and self-pity."
I added these words by Lela Knox Shanks because if you are at a place of truly accepting your loved one's dementia, then the way in which you are approaching the holiday season is probably different than in years past. If your loved one lives at home, this may mean less traveling, less baking, fewer decorations. Activities you do with your loved one may be as simple as reading seasonal stories or holiday cards together, attending short concerts, taking a ride to look at holiday lights, watching home movies or looking at photo albums from holidays past. Holiday celebrations may include smaller 'potluck style' gatherings at home.
When we accept the changes that occur in a person with dementia, we ourselves change. We begin to free ourselves from the tyranny of the 'shoulda' and 'oughta' occurrence. Consider this the season for just 'being' and reminiscing with your family — no expectations, no elaborate production. Think of this simplicity as a gift to you, from your loved one with dementia.
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