Alzheimer’s Disease and Family Dynamics

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. Guest: Christina Chen, M.D. Alzheimer’s Disease affects not only the patient but also has a significant impact on that patient’s family. The family becomes stressed as emotional and physical burdens develop. The role of the primary care clinician in managing a patient with Alzheimer’s is not only to care for the patient but also help and support families as they go through a very complex, emotional journey. Today’s podcast will cover the changes in family dynamics which commonly occur in Alzheimer’s Disease including caregiver burden, legal decisions which need to be made, and difficult ethical choices which will be made as the disease progresses. What are some common sources of conflict within families as they care for their loved one with Alzheimer’s? What can we do as a clinician to help families through this difficult journey? How do we approach a situation where there’s disagreement in the family regarding management? These are some of the questions I’ll be asking my guest, Christina Chen, M.D., an internist and geriatrician in the Division of Community Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic as we discuss “Alzheimer’s Disease and Family Dynamics”. Connect with us and learn more here: https://ce.mayo.edu/online-education/content/mayo-clinic-podcasts