elder law

Dementia and Light Therapy: Can Tailored Lighting Help With Care?

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Senior woman turning her face to the sun

A recent, but small, clinical trial of dementia residents in a memory care facility used integrated ambient lighting that changed in intensity throughout the day to simulate natural light-dark cycles.

While the study published  concluded that the lighting “may” help with depression, poor sleep quality, and agitation for those dealing with dementia, it ultimately concluded that further research was warranted.

However, the easier solution may be to try to make sure we get sufficient time in the natural light, rather than stuck inside with electric light all of the time – at any age and ability.

-Victoria Blachly 

This Is ALL Of Us: Musings From the End of a Television Series and The End of A Life

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NBC’s “This Is Us” aired its penultimate show last night.  It is perhaps the most poignant and heart wrenching writing and acting that I have ever seen on television.  As the matriarch of the family, Rebecca Pearson, suffers with Alzheimer’s Disease and, in a way, had already left her family behind some time ago, as her memories failed her with the insidious disease.  Her final journey is then portrayed through a series of vignettes through the cars of a train, showing her family and other important people in her life, at various ages.  The thread woven through it all is love and sharing, and a good deal of open communication.  (Those Pearsons DO love to talk.)

Planning for an aging loved one’s journey is something we all need to face with compassion and courage, and the legal tools to get the right people situated for success is apparent in the show.   Take the time to talk with an elder law attorney or estate planner to make that journey less painful.

Nobody wants to plan for their final train, but leaving behind less stress for your loved ones is important.  As they said in the show, “If something makes you sad when it ends it must’ve been pretty wonderful when it was happening.”

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