- 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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March 6, 2013
Teamwork unites caregivers, those with dementia
By Angela Lunde
The Meeting of the Minds Dementia Conference 2013 has ended. After many years of planning and participating in these conferences, they're beginning to feel a bit like a family reunion. While most of the faces I see are still new, more and more are familiar and oh-so-special.
The conference this year reflected the spirit and compassion of more than 1,000 people coming together to find better ways to care for one another. Pat Summit, the winningest college basketball coach in history, now living with younger onset Alzheimer's, along with her former player, Michelle Marciniak, opened the conference.
Her remarks were brief but impactful. Her advice — surround yourself with a good team. She spoke of her son's support with pride and gratitude. She thanked Ronald Petersen, her Mayo Clinic doctor, for his role and commitment to her care. And when Michelle spoke, it was clear that she and the other players who knew Pat Summit as both coach and mom were back on her team to offer endless support.
Hopefully we all have a team, or at least a precious few that offer us healing energy and unconditional support. Yet, in the face of adversity, relationships often change, and our existing support systems can waver. As I walked around the conference and spoke with caregivers and those individuals living with Alzheimer's or a related dementia, I could see and hear new relationships being formed.
A new version of life was emerging; a version that exposes what's truly important, or perhaps one that's discovering how resilient the inner self can be. A version, at least I hope, that believes we are all people, with or without a label of disease, worthy of a meaningful life from beginning to end. And a version that indisputably recognizes that relationships are essential to well-being and that belonging to a "team" is a basic need.
At the end of the conference, however, precious silence and solitude was my welcomed gift, a time for replenishing and reflecting. What I felt most was gratitude — thankful to my passionate colleagues who share in this mission, thankful to my extended family (all of you) living this journey for the ways in which you enrich my life, and more importantly what you offer one another. To those of you who attended our "'reunion" last Saturday, I hope you received something in return.
"You never know how much you belong until you walk in."
- Marty, conference attendee
17 comments posted
May 6, 2013 1:32 p.m.
Thank you all for your comments. Each and every day is different with new challenges. I will try your suggestions.
- Marsha
May 3, 2013 4:14 p.m.
Marsha, Try a potty chair in her bedroom and nightlights. My mother went through this stage years ago and we figured out she could not find the bathroom even though it was right next to her room, just like your mother in law's. Mom even walked past the bathroom and urinated on the couch and chair in the living room. The potty chair and the nightlights helped tremendously.i would also take her to the bathroom several times a day and sit in there with her. I read to her and she relaxed and was able to use the toilet. I learned that she became agitated when she had to potty or started shaking her leg and I immediately escorted her to the bathroom.
- Dani
April 9, 2013 6:21 p.m.
to marsha, your mother in law has a big, great change in her life. So she is missing all the things she know, all the things were her safety. When you are the first time in hospital you also don t know all the things. And so it is like her life. She is with fear, panic and so on. She has only a bedroom. I hope she has her own bed there and a little bit other things from her. All the friends must to say her and show her her own things. So she will looses her fear, panic. Fear and panic is stress. And this is the wrong system to see any thing, or right person. In the brain there are wrong biochemicals and the brain cells will not work. Because stress and so on is the wrong system. She needs safety feeling. But it is connected on her own things. I wrote a book Rediscover Recovery Practical Reference I am a caregiver and a therapist for a long time.
- No name given
April 9, 2013 5:04 p.m.
I need some advice. My mother in law is 85 with vascular dementia and has lived with us for 1 1/2 years. She has her own bedroom. She of course misses her apartment. She lived alone for decades. She is continent, but has recently begun to urinate in her bedroom garbage can. She has her own bathroom which is about 10 steps from her room. She uses this sometimes especially during the day. I have removed the garbage can from her room, only to have her urinate into a plastic grocery bag and hide it under the bed. When we ask her about this, she has various stories including denial that it ever happens. Any suggestions?? Please!!!
- marsha
March 24, 2013 8:30 p.m.
to Gwen, for to reach the speechease give your husband rei camping, outdoor catalogs,also from auto, motorcycle,all the things that a man has in his life. Take favorites pictures and he have to cut them in 2 pieces. He have to do together a whole picture. And than he have to cut them in 4 pieces and do this together to a whole picture. Please do not help. So he work with his brain and find the words. Please let him visit other men. Because your husband has not the same things in his men life as you. He has a corner with simple toolbox, let him sit there. So he is thinking for this things. Please don t ask him. He will say anything in the next time. But it is not like a woman, his level is in his world. All the things he see is an connection for the brain cells. I am for long time a caregiver and a therapist, I wrote a book Rediscover Recovery, Practical Reference Training.
- Susanngab
March 12, 2013 10:29 p.m.
The Meeting of the Minds spirit of togetherness, support, and compassion for all concerned is very much continuing in my life. For all who did not attend, please feel we felt your needs, feelings, and have support for you. At this meeting, I became aware of CaringSource. For 11 years, my husband has been the focus of attention and care by myself, family, and friends. My doctors and his doctors, begged me to take care of myself first. But, my focus supported by family and friends, only stayed on him until the last year when I obviously was falling apart with stress. Funny, I have a foot operation on this Monday. The medical team is taking care of me with assistance. But his family that know about an operation, don't even ask what I am having? And, bless them, they have no idea of what's involved and the responsibility I feel about his care, not mine. One other time, I was admitted to the hospital for a week, all they voiced was how could I leave him while I was in the hospital. Forgiveness is wonderful for oneself. So I'm ready to start taking care of myself. It's now ok with me to not be superwoman, and admit I need the support of a specialist in this field . I look forward to having a "CaringCoach". Today, people have personal trainers, professional coaches, marriage & family therapists, so now thanks to CaringSource, we may have a specialist to help us take care of ourselves as well as our dear ones.
- Kristina
March 12, 2013 10:53 a.m.
This comment is to Bill. Bill my husband also has frontal lobe dementia I have some info on the FTD assoc online, and our neurologist has given some info, but would like to hear frm others with the same diag as this dementia is a little different from ALz dementia. My husbands loss of speech, and his loss of motor skills is his main problems. I struggle daily with communicating with him His memory is still very vivid. He gets so frustrated from not being able to communicate with me. I have to do everything for him such as buttoning shirt, shaving, etc. Would like to hear from others with similar dementia.
- Gwin
March 11, 2013 7:45 a.m.
Your title says it all... tackling the problem together as a team is much better than leaving it up to someone on there own. Lucy Jersey
- Lucy
March 9, 2013 9:33 p.m.
It is touching to read about the support of caregivers.But through this,the caregivers do need to rejuvenate themselves.Personally,I find getting in touch with my body and meditation fairly helpful.
- sanjit
March 8, 2013 5:56 p.m.
to Bill, all the Alzheimer disease and dementia humans have the same problems. They did not find their reality life. So they have to do all the things, they can do.We do all the things, we are to fast and we take away all the information for their brain. And they forget all the things. So they have to do it like they can do. Because they do the things an other way,like we. They take time and the name from the things have changed. So we have to speak the older words. This is the key to connects all the brain cells. And the daily life is better.I am a caregiver for long time and I wrote a book Rediscover Recovery.
- Susanngab
March 8, 2013 3:07 a.m.
My husband aged 76 was diagnoised with altzheimers 10 years ago. He has been on aricept all that time and also Crestor and carvatrend. His general health is good, but our farm burnt down over New Year and he has definitly got worse since then, especially as his sister died of a heart attack during the fire. TheDloctors now thinkj he is getting Parkinsons, and I wonddered if this is an off shoot of altzheimers?
- Elaine
March 7, 2013 8:30 p.m.
I would love to attend a conference like this. My wife has frontal lobe dementia. I need all the help I can get....i.e. information about this condition, possibly a support group, etc.
- Bill
March 7, 2013 7:38 p.m.
I'm from Canada. As a wife, we need more support for our Doctors, Family and Society. It has been a very lonely road for me that last 6 plus years. My husband is now in a nursing home now but the journey continues to be hard as I try to somehow get my life back to near normal.
- Dianne
March 7, 2013 6:51 p.m.
Once again thank you Angela - I finally met you! - the one that has helped my inner thoughts as a Alzheimer caregiver since 2008 - the most fulfilling part of the conference started and ended so very well, as I have followed Pat Summitt for many years, and looked up to all she and her TEAMS have accomplished - and her new misson - WOW! and the last speaker, our knowledgable lobbiest, letting us know how important we ALL - as a TEAM of advocates are for Alzheimers - Spread the word to everyone... our TEAM WILL WIN !
- Mary
March 7, 2013 1:02 p.m.
Thank you again, Angela, for your poignant and helpful words of encouragement.
- Laura
March 7, 2013 11:38 a.m.
How do we learn about these conferences? I wish I had been there.
- Rose
March 6, 2013 8:17 p.m.
Gratitude is coming back to all of you. Thank God my wife attended your meeting. She came home with a new stronger spirit that rubs off on me. "When the wife is happy, everybody is happy." I may feel 21, but my memory is a problem. I depend on her, and it's important that she is happy and healthy. Meeting of the Minds continues with love and acceptance in our home. I guess she realized I am still in love with her and she loves me even though I'm not perfect so to speak,
- Raymond, the Italian 86 year old Jock!
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