Minding Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease: Not All Who Wander Need Be Lost with Lisa Skinner (Episode #142)

Dr. Lynn Hellerstein of Vision Beyond Sight speaks with Lisa Skinner, behavioral specialist, certified dementia practitioner, certified dementia care trainer, certified program director, 4x bestselling author, TED Speaker, and internationally recognized podcast host (ranked top 10% globally), to talk about why we should all be concerned about Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. Do you know that it is projected that people who will develop Alzheimer’s in the next 25 years around the world will triple? Are you aware that people can also be living with more than one brain disease at the same time? Find out the risk factors that contribute to Alzheimer’s and dementia, and realize that ultimately, there is hope! Lisa gives a rundown of modifiable risk factors in lifestyle like sleep quality, diet and exercise, and conditions like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hearing loss and isolation. Everything is intermingled! Discover how to stimulate your brain and produce neuroplasticity as protection. Even a regular brisk walk can make a huge difference! If you’re living with a patient, it’s important to understand all the symptoms and behaviors like hallucinations, wandering and severe mood changes, and to learn how to respond to them effectively. Join Lisa’s The Minding Dementia Training Program and contact her to know more. Don’t be a stranger to dementia and Alzheimer’s!

Click here and tune in to the show now to explore these insights:

• People who will develop Alzheimer’s will triple in the next 25 years. Why?
• What differentiates Alzheimer’s from other kinds of dementia?
• People can be living with more than one brain disease at the same time.
• Demographics and risk factors that have higher risk for Alzheimer’s
• When does Alzheimer’s start?
• Changing theories – from plaques and tangles in the brain to other theories
• The Nun Study
• What we can do even if we are not yet diagnosed with brain disease?
• Non-modifiable risk factors: age, gender, ethnic groups and genetics
• Modifiable risk factors – cardiovascular disease, hearing loss, isolation, diabetes, sleep quality, diet, exercise, lifestyle
• Recommended food – leaner meats, green, leafy vegetables, nut and legumes
• Everything is intermingled: fix one problem, you can fix many problems.
• A brisk walk can make a huge difference to our brain health
• The importance of continuing to challenge the brain and keeping it active and stimulated
• Building neuroplasticity as a protection to your brain
• The impact of Alzheimer’s to family
• People don’t completely understand dementia and Alzheimer’s.
• Other behaviors: hallucinations, false beliefs, delusions, eloping, wandering, severe personality changes
• Lisa’s first experience with Alzheimer’s with her grandmother
• Effective ways to respond to a patient’s behaviors
• Lisa’s 6-module course: The Minding Dementia Training Program
• How to contact Lisa

About Lisa Skinner:

International bestselling author Lisa Skinner is a behavioral specialist with expertise in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. In her 30+year career working with family members and caregivers, Lisa has taught them how to successfully navigate the many challenges that accompany this heartbreaking disease. Lisa is a Certified Dementia Practitioner, a certified dementia care trainer through the Alzheimer’s Association, and a certified dementia care program director, as well as the internationally recognized podcast host of the Truth, Lies, & Alzheimer’s Show. She also holds a degree in Human Behavior.

Her latest book, “Truth, Lies & Alzheimer’s – Its Secret Faces” continues Skinner’s quest of working with dementia-related illnesses and teaching families and caregivers how to better understand the daunting challenges of brain disease. Her 2x #1 bestselling book and recipient of the Living Now Award, “Not All Who Wander Need Be Lost,” was written at their urging. As someone who has had eight family members diagnosed with dementia, Lisa Skinner has found her calling in helping others through the struggle they can have a better-quality relationship with their loved ones through education and offering workshops on counter-intuitive solutions and tools to help people effectively manage the symptoms of brain disease.

Lisa is an internationally recognized TEDx speaker and has appeared on many international, na-tional and regional media broadcasts. Lisa helps explain behaviors caused by dementia, encourages those who feel burdened, and gives practical advice for how to respond.

Connect with Lisa Skinner and Minding Dementia:

Websites: MindingDementia.com | DementiaAwarenessSpeaker.com

Facebook | Instagram | X | Linked In | YouTube |

The Minding Dementia Training Program

6-module training course where participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of Alzheimer’s challenges and acquire practical tools and approaches to better support individuals with Alzheimer’s while prioritizing their own well-being as caregivers or family members.

Some of the topics the course covers:

• Memory Loss: Difficulty remembering recent events, conversations, and names is often the first sign of Alzheimer’s.
• Difficulty with Familiar Tasks: Struggling to complete routine tasks that were once familiar, like using a phone or operating home appliances.
• Language Problems: Trouble finding the right words, understanding conversations, or following along in discussions.
• Disorientation: Losing track of dates, seasons, and the passage of time. Individuals may also become lost in familiar places.
• Impaired Judgment: Decreased ability to make decisions, judge distance, or recognize safety hazards.
• Misplacing Things: Frequently losing items and being unable to retrace steps to find them.
• Changes in Mood and Behavior: Experiencing mood swings, depression, social withdrawal, distrust in others, irritability, and aggression.
• Difficulty with Complex Tasks: Challenges in planning, organizing, following instructions, and dealing with numbers.
• Visual and Spatial Abilities Impairment: Difficulty reading, judging distance, determining color or contrast, which can lead to problems with driving.
• Withdrawal from Social Activities: Losing interest in hobbies, social activities, and other engagements.

It also comes with a workbook that can be used as a working reference guide.

More about Lisa Skinner:

Lisa Skinner: A force to be reckoned with as a behavior specialist and more. – Forbes Celebrity

Lisa Skinner on How Coping Strategies for Families of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Patients Evolved Over Time – New York Business Post (nybpost.com)

“Most people associated Alzheimer’s disease, for example, to short-term memory loss and confusion. When all these other behaviors start showing up, like hallucination, false beliefs, delusions, eloping (which means trying to get out of their environment), wandering, severe mood changes and personality changes, the list goes on and on. A lot of the paranoia, the suspiciousness. All of these are part of dementia. I think understanding what these diseases are doing to the brains of the people who are living with them is the place where family members really need to start.” – Lisa Skinner

Click here to play this show now!

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Dr. Lynn Hellerstein, Developmental Optometrist, award-winning author and international speaker, holds powerful and inspiring conversations with her guests in the areas of health, wellness, education, sports and psychology. They share their inspirational stories of healing and transformation through their vision expansion. Vision Beyond Sight Podcast will help you see with clarity, gain courage and confidence. Welcome to Vision Beyond Sight!

Dr. Lynn’s books are available at Amazon.com and www.lynnhellerstein.com/shop.

Dr. Lynn is available for speaking engagements and consulting. For more information, visit www.lynnhellerstein.com.

To learn more about vision therapy or to find a doctor providing vision therapy in your area, visit: COVD.org.

To learn more about vision and the impact in concussion/brain injury, visit: Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association.

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