As we begin a new year, we do so while still dealing with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to what you read most on this blog last year, your focus has been on your loved one’s mental health as well as your own, and how to support them.

Talking openly about dementia can help reduce the myths—as well as the fear, shame, stigma and stereotypes—that surround it.

Memory specialist Heather Dobbert shares information about frequently misunderstood aspects of dementia.

People living with dementia perceive their surroundings differently—and their perceptions can result in behavior that caregivers sometimes find hard to interpret.

“If there’s someone in your life who is living with dementia, looking at their environment through their eyes may give you a better sense of how they feel and why they feel that way,” says Heather Dobbert, a Fallon Health Memory Specialist. “That can make a big difference in your ability to respond to how they’re acting."

Even though a cure for dementia remains elusive, Memory Specialist Heather Dobbert always advises talking with a doctor if you think your loved one may be having symptoms. "There's so much to be gained by having a medical evaluation and discovering the specific reason for the symptoms," she says.