- With Mayo Clinic health education outreach coordinator
Angela Lunde
read biographyclose windowBiography of
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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Nov. 1, 2011
HABIT helps caregivers begin healing process
By Angela Lunde
At this time, Alzheimer's has no cure. But please don't confuse cure with treatment or therapies. Treatments and therapies do exist in many forms from managing symptoms with medications, to treating caregivers by offering education on topics such as making difficult decisions or communication, to support groups (supportive blogs), counseling, art therapy, stress reduction, and mentor programs. For some caregivers and persons with dementia, finding solace in nature or sipping tea with a trusted friend is therapeutic.
As I write this blog, HABIT, a 10-day program that I deliver along with several colleagues, has completed day five of its ten days. HABIT stands for Healthy Actions to Benefit Independence and Thinking. HABIT doesn't cure those patients with memory loss who participate. Instead, the program offers several tools unique in addressing the condition of mild cognitive impairment and caregiving.
Outcomes are aimed at memory compensation, improving self efficacy, decreasing depression and caregiver burden (to name a few). And yet, I don't think the measurable outcomes capture the essence of what is therapeutic or healing for those that participate in this fifty hour experience.
HABIT is a partnership between the patient and their caregiver, and the therapists. In this regard, it isn't your typical hierarchal model of the doctor (therapist) believing that they are the "doer" and therefore in charge of the plan or making the changes.
HABIT simply delivers the right formula that sets the conditions for positive changes and healing transformations to begin. The key ingredient in this formula is creating an environment for the participant that invites openness and self-disclosure, unconditional acceptance, empathy, and compassion.
Unconditional acceptance, empathy and compassion offered to anyone facing challenging times is, without a doubt, treatment. It's healing.
This past week at the end of a yoga session (a daily yoga practice is part of the HABIT program), Margo a caregiver said, "I feel at home." I've been thinking about what Margo may have meant by that. Possibly it signified a letting go of the pretense and the control that may be suffocating her. Maybe it meant she felt safe enough to allow things to come apart-to feel and see things as they really are. Perhaps she was simply expressing that she feels surrounded by a supportive family. Only Margo knows exactly what she meant by those words, but I sensed she was exactly where she needed to be.
To the incredible patients and families I meet through HABIT, I treasure each of you and what you have taught me and offered one another. To the remarkable and dedicated HABIT staff, may we humbly continue in this work, to serve, and be served.
HABIT is a 50-hour program for individuals recently diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment and a program partner. It's offered several times each year on the Mayo Clinic Campus in Rochester, MN. To learn more about the HABIT program go to: http://mayoresearch.mayo.edu/alzheimers_center/habit.cfm
For information on treatment programs such as support groups, education, care consultations, creative arts therapy, and mentor programs, call the Alzheimer's Association help-line at 1-800-272-3900. Programs will vary by state and region.
"A friend is someone who understands my past,
believes in my future, and accepts me just the way I am."
- Anonymous
18 comments posted
June 9, 2012 3:09 p.m.
Where are these HABIT classes held & when?
- Margaret
December 30, 2011 3:28 a.m.
I`m glad when I hear of ways to help both the patient and the caregiver. I went through it with 4 family members. I was without help and not well myself. I was so focused on caregiving that I had no strength left for self care. This caused my health challenges to worsen. I`m still not the same. To everyone out there : Please take good care of yourself too ! Seek out help from whatever source you can find. Some times the county can help. I found out too late. Take care.
- Louise
November 28, 2011 12:14 a.m.
We need the Habit Program in Mayo JAX! It only makes sense -here we have the Birdsall Building, Dr. Neil Graff- Radford, Francine, plus Dr. Dickson, etc plus all of our world researchers, and all of us patients! And, our BRAINS will be there...in our family Birdsall will have three. Only at Mayo would my husband be the patient in our new hospital, and because I, the caregiver for 9 years, broke down, all of my MD's starting calling me and seeing me, even my sister was called because she was listed as my emergency contact. THE PROCESS BECAME MAGICAL! I COUNTED! After 16 years of being a patient of Mayo, my heart keeps growing with gratitude to Mayo. Nurses reported I wasn't eating, sleeping much. wearing makeup, acting so frustrated because my husband was refusing to state that he would do what the doctors were telling him to do once he left the hospital...how could I continue being responsible for him? We needed HABIT right then! However, Mayo always takes care of the PATIENT FIRST, CAREGIVER, and the support system, and I didn't know how to be supportive to my dear husband of 29 years with not much sleep and not knowing what the future would be. THERE'S NO WAY I COULD EVER THANK MAYO JAX FOR THE CARE AND SUPPORT THEY GAVE ME, I COUNTED TOO...BECAUSE SOMETIMES AS CAREGIVERS IT FEELS LIKE OUR LIVES DON'T MEAN MUCH...I KNOW I NEED HABIT WITH MY HUSBAND. GOD BLESS MAYO'S OUTSTANDING STAFF OF ROOM#520 AS WELL AS ALL OF OUR SUPPORT STAFF AND DR. RUPP AT THE HELM!
- Dystonia Hat Lady
November 17, 2011 7:12 p.m.
Thank you Craig for that Eloquent recollection of our treatment and experience at the HABIT program. Craig is right, please, if someone in your family has a diagnosis of MCI, please do not ignore it and act like it doesn't exist. We have in some cases months numbered.... in some some years, but it all end somewhere, we just do not know where,we need your support, because you see the partners, you caregivers, are Our Lifeline, we need your help. Some MCI patients like Craig do not have a support partner, I just spoke with him on the phone, he finds each day more difficult...if he only had a partner.... a Caregiver....life would be better for him. You don't know how Blessed you are to be a caregiver. I used to get tired when I was a Caregiver for my Father for AD, now my husband will have that future....maybe...trying to do my best to stay "healthy" and mentally sharp...but Please don"t blame me if I can't and Please don't get angry when I "loose" it, Please don't get angry when I forget,Please don't get angry when I can't sleep at night, Please don't get angry whenI can't drive anymore and you have to,Please don't get angry when I can't cook dinner anymore...Please don't get angry when I don't Remember who you are.... when I forget you and our children, when I forget our grandkids...Please forgive me for getting AD...if you would like to ..Trade places..Jump in, If you think caregiving is difficult I know,I did it for 9 yrs..Walk in my shoes and know i
- Catherine
November 16, 2011 8:29 p.m.
Two weeks of a soft place to land…a life reset…I can make it longer on my own - with help at arms reach…a place to help 'bring' someone from home into your 'reality'….something you can't accomplish in an hour appt….no matter how many times a year you have only that precious hour…Two full weeks…of the World's Best…providing a soft place to land…and giving you tools to recreate that soft place at home….and tools to survive…but mostly…The Most Love, Understanding, Compassion, Honesty, Reality, and One on One Brutal Honesty….I have felt in the four years that I have been diagnosed with a Cognitive problem….Validation for me as a patient, and Hope…and Understanding….and finally….a way to fight the Isolation…if you or someone you know has MCI….please look into this…
- Craig
November 7, 2011 3:23 p.m.
I am a student of MCI, I was diagnosed over a year ago. I and my husband are 62 years old....in the "prime of our retirement" Not so much,hardley, we are in the process of after being married for 41 ...of learning it all over again. With HABIT we have learned, we are still in love!, and we can handle it with the right tools. What we learned the last 2 weeks at the HABIT program at Mayo (God Bless All those Angels), their is a peace of mind, life does get better after HABIT. Education of our diagnosis, Attitude between you and your partner count for a lot. You both are able to come to the understanding, we are just embarking on a New Journey of Love... and yes, We Can Do It. If you are even considering the HABIT program, make it a priority. We could not really afford to go, when I spoke with Sherry she told me the class was 2 weeks away, I had to make a decision,I was planning on getting eye glasses with bifocals, (badley needed), however I deceided to put them off one more month,best descision we ever made, HABIT has opened our eyes way more than those bifocals would have helped this month. I can just tell you do your best to make it happen. If you need a reasonable place to stay (because we had to go inexpensive as we could) Value Place is where you want to go, shuttle takes you there and back! Don't be afraid of what you don't know go and find out what you need to know!
- Catherine
November 6, 2011 3:36 p.m.
Thank you for this article! Do you know if there is a similar program to HABIT in Canada? I'm sure it would help my husband and I cope more effectively with his mild cognitive impairment.
- Joanne
November 4, 2011 7:32 p.m.
Your brochure does not list the cost of the HABIT program.
- Bill
November 4, 2011 2:38 p.m.
AMY -Salute you and your siblings for the journey is indeed a challenging one that only love can sustain. Recently , I was given a powerfully written book which puts death in perspective: A Sorrow Shared by Hennri Nouwen. Sitting by my wife as she approaches her departure I had trouble reading through the tears. This writer was relating his mother's death and shares a very personal letter he wrote to console his father - the letter offered him greater consolation. He concludes that Love is stronger then death! Highly recommend this easy to read book especially after the death of a spouse, child or sibling. Bless you all.
- Gary
November 4, 2011 6:14 a.m.
I lost my father 2 weeks ago from this awful disease. I cared for him the last 2 1/2 years of his life. I moved him into my home while working a full time job and relied on my siblings to sit with him during my work hours. This became a huge hardship at times but I'm proud to say that I managed to keep dad at home til the end. There were times that I thought I would lose my mind but the day before my father died, he became very lucid..recognized everyone, talked to us like he did before he became ill, laughed and gave us hugs and kisses. I knew he was telling us goodbye but let me tell you those few tender moments I had with my dad wiped away all the stress, anxiety and frustration of the last 2 1/2 years. My wish to each of you who are walking the same path I did is that you will also get this closure at the end of the road. God bless each of you for the struggles you endure.
- Amy
November 3, 2011 7:37 p.m.
I have been friends with this woman for 50 years. She calls, never comes over, and will asked me if my mother-in-law with alzhemiers is better. Better than what, i blew up and told her ya she is just like she was 10 years ago. What are you stupid you don't get better with alzhemiers. I probably wouldn't have got so irate if she didn't ask me this all the time. It is not like she just moved in with us, she has been here for almost 3 years. And my mother-in-law is getting worse everyday. My "friend" tells me i don't know how you do it, i couldn't. She would not volunteer to come and sit with my mother-in-law until she found out we were paying 10 dollars an hour and then all of a sudden she wasn't scared to come and sit with her.
- Georgia
November 3, 2011 6:57 p.m.
My book telling my experiences as a caregiver of my wife is available at Create Space eStore: https://www.createspace.com/3699557 $12.99 per copy
- Philip
November 3, 2011 5:33 p.m.
"but a true friend knowing you can be something better should tell you that what you are is way short of what you can be." As a woman, I have experienced years of men telling me that I am way short of what can be. It took me years to accept the exceptional person that God has created in me. I prefer to listen to my friends who accept me just as I am.
- Elizabeth
November 3, 2011 1:23 p.m.
Nothing is absolute consider this quote from the article: "A friend is someone who understands my past, believes in my future, and accepts me just the way I am." - Anonymous May I sugges, a friend may accept you for what you are, but a true friend knowing you can be something better should tell you that what you are is way short of what you can be. Some folks need to look in the mirror - consider this poem: TThe Guy in the Glass by Dale Wimbrow, (c) 1934 When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf (wealth), And the world makes you King for a day, Then go to the mirror and look at yourself, And see what that guy has to say. For it isn't your Father, or Mother, or Wife, Who judgment upon you must pass. The feller whose verdict counts most in your life Is the guy staring back from the glass. He's the feller to please, never mind all the rest, For he's with you clear up to the end, And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test If the guy in the glass is your friend. You may be like Jack Horner and "chisel" a plum, And think you're a wonderful guy, But the man in the glass says you're only a bum If you can't look him straight in the eye. You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years, And get pats on the back as you pass, But your final reward will be heartaches and tears If you've cheated the guy in the glass.(c) 1934
- Gary
November 3, 2011 12:39 p.m.
It was interesting to me to read this article today. I had just emailed a friend and said to her, "I am becoming more and more able to accept 'what is/what is coming' and to let go of what had been for us for the past 58 plus years." This lessens my stress, as well as my husband's, and helps me be a more relaxed, cheerful caregiver.
- Betty
November 3, 2011 12:32 p.m.
Has CerefolinNAC been suggested?
- Amalie
November 3, 2011 8:50 a.m.
John and I participated in Habit one year ago. I am not sure what we expected at the time, but I know that both of us came away with gifts of knowledge, compassion and new friendships to guide us on this journey. During the 10 days of Habit, I wore a gift, I had received from John after his diagnosis of MCI. It is a "compass" necklace which is significant to us both. It symbolizes that we are on a journey together and no matter which direction we are headed in or challenges we may face, John and I will do the best we can one day at a time.
- Rosalie
November 1, 2011 8:21 a.m.
In addition to the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org) there is another national organization that can be very or even more helpful for caregivers and people with Alzheimer's ... the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (www.alzfdn.org ... 866-AFA-8484.) In fact, the weekly support groups that my wife and I attend are sponsored by the Long Island Alzheimer's Foundation. The Alzheimer's Association does not provide weekly groups on Long Island for those with early to moderate alzheimer's and their caregivers. So caregivers and those with alzheimers should contact both organizations to see if there are helpful programs nearby!
- Allan
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