What Happens When Dementia Takes You Back in Time (with Glenna Hecht)

How do you stay connected to someone when dementia seems to be pulling them further away?In this episode of The Dementia Collective, Andrew Karesa sits down with Glenna Hecht, author, speaker, and former HR executive, to explore the unexpected game that transformed her nine year journey caring for her mother living with dementia.Glenna shares the moment everything shifted. After watching her mother move in and out of different ages and memories, she stopped trying to correct the confusion and started asking a different question: “How old are you today?” What began as instinct became a framework. A way to travel with her mother instead of fighting against where she was.Throughout the conversation, Glenna describes what it meant to “be quiet, watch, listen, travel.” By observing her mother’s eyes, body language, and stories, she learned how to enter the world her mother was experiencing in that moment. The goal was not orientation. It was connection.Glenna also reflects on the hardest moments of caregiving, including walking away from her mother behind a locked metal door in a psychiatric ward while scrambling to secure power of attorney and legal authority. She speaks candidly about guilt, distance, and the realization that she had not fully understood what was happening sooner.As a longtime HR leader and consultant, Glenna brings a second lens to the discussion. She explains why most workplaces are not prepared for the growing number of employees who are quietly caregiving. Managers often see performance changes without recognizing the hidden burden at home. Dementia caregiving is not just a family issue. It is a workforce issue.In this episode:• The origin of the “How Old Are You Today?” game• Why observing and listening matters more than fixing• What the psych ward experience taught Glenna about preparation and advocacy• The workplace blind spot around caregiving employees• Why the myth that “there is nobody in there” is harmful• How time travel can become a pathway to connection• What dementia taught Glenna that decades in business never couldWhether you are caring for a parent with dementia, supporting a partner living with Alzheimer’s disease, or trying to understand how to stay connected as memory shifts, this episode offers a grounded and deeply human perspective on what is possible when we stop arguing with reality and start entering it.Learn more at:https://www.bluebellvillage.cahttps://www.howoldareyoutoday.com————Join The Village and help shape conversations like this by submitting questions to our guests:https://www.patreon.com/cw/blueBellVillage————Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical condition. Always consult your physician or another qualified healthcare provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or treatment. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Andrew Karesa, blueBell Village Ltd., or any of its employees, contractors, or team members.