Health 411- Memory Loss with Dr. Catherine Madison

"In 2021, 57 million people had dementia worldwide... Every year, there are nearly 10 million new cases," (World Health Organization). Dementia is a group of neurodegenerative diseases that affect a large amount of the aging population, and that have a wide variety of symptoms-- change in habits, forgetting the month or year, forgetting relationships to others, often losing or misplacing items, getting lost while driving or walking, and other behavioral symptoms that impair daily life and independent functioning. While there is no cure for dementia, there are treatment plans and things that we can do to make life as comfortable and joyous as possible for those who have dementia. Dr. Catherine Madison, MD, is a neurologist who decided to specialize in Dementia care after experiencing firsthand the impact her mother's journey with dementia had on herself and her family. Dr. Madison works with a nonprofit, Seniors at Home, which is an Organization that is proud to provide at-home care for seniors to help them live as independently as possible, and to age with dignity. Founded in 1850, they are a part of Jewish Family and Children’s Services, one of the oldest and largest family service institutions in the United States.For this episode, Dr. Madison joins Dr. Jonathan Karp and student producer Kaya Basatemur to talk about the warning signs of dementia, dementia care, and how to provide an aging senior with dementia with the highest amount of comfort and respect possible. She also discusses some major points in her book, Navigating Memory Loss, to emphasize how important whole-person healthcare is. This book is not only for those living with dementia, but mainly for their family and friends. The format of the book is Q&A, which makes it helpful to find the information that you may need when dealing with the stress of providing care to a loved one with dementia. To learn more about Dr. Madison, visit her website at https://www.mdmemorycare.com/personal-storyTo read her book, Navigating Memory Loss, visit either Barnes and Nobles or amazon.com: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/navigating-memory-loss-catherine-madison/1148438093?ean=9798998819506⁠https://www.amazon.com/Navigating-Memory-Loss-Essential-Alzheimers/dp/B0FMGR232F/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0