COVID-19, Dementia, and the Importance of Social Connections

In this week's episode, Al Power sits down again with Susan Ryan. Al is an internationally recognized dementia expert whose books, Dementia Beyond Drugs and Dementia Beyond Disease, are must reads for anyone supporting people living with dementia. His astute insights and expertise provide a voice of clarity that provokes us to think differently and apply approaches that value the unique needs of each person. While this week's episode was recorded at the end of September 2020 and the discussion included some sobering statistics for COVID-related deaths among residents and staff in long-term care for the months of July and August. Al shares his thoughts on the especially harsh impact the coronavirus has had on people living with dementia and the associated ageism, ableism, stereotypes, and inequities in the system that exacerbate these challenges. He also examines the devastating social isolation and loneliness that have occurred in nursing homes and offers candid perspectives and parameters for making decisions and negotiating risk for resuming visitation and fostering social connections.   Follow Dr. Power on Twitter: @AlPower12