Recognizing Caregivers

Maybe it’s because it’s what we do, but we can’t help noticing how dementia is becoming a more common theme on TV, in movies and the media.  This can only be good for sufferers and their families. There is no cure for dementia, but we can improve care and the experience of caregivers through understanding and awareness.

The late Dean Smith had Alzheimer’s.  With the many luminaries offering him tribute, it may have gone unnoticed, but his family took time to offer special thanks to the caregivers who assisted him in his final months.  Even in as enlightened community as Chapel Hill, we encounter people who attach a stigma to the disease. Dementia is not mom acting in an embarrassing way, it’s a serious medical condition.  The more we raise awareness, the more we help those in need.