I just love your attitude!

My sister in law has been hospitalized twice in a very short period because she has come face to face with early dementia issues.

Am not sure if it is because she knows I am a gerontologist or not, but she now calls me every night and she describes the dementia and the weird/funny things and reactions of people and herself and she laughs with me, when we talk together about how weird it is and how scary it has been for her.

I have met and served many people with dementia and although it is a very sad and disturbing diagnosis, the clients and families with a high level of ability to laugh through adversity do the best.

Doom and gloom never serve any purpose, and in fact seems to make people with the dementia diagnosis do more poorly.

My sister in law ended our conversation last night with: "The sky is not falling, it is just changing" and "I am going to be a whole new somebody!".