7 Ways to Cope with a Parent’s Diagnosis of Dementia

It’s never easy to watch our parents get older and lose the capabilities to do certain tasks independently. It’s even harder for those whose parents have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. Not only does this diagnosis guarantee a parent’s eventual loss of skills and independence, but it could also mean a loss of personality traits and characteristics of the person who raised them.

“Adult children of those diagnosed with dementia must learn to cope with many major changes in their loved one,” says Jimmie Fay Griffin, Executive Director of Clarity Pointe™ Tallahassee, a memory care assisted living community in Tallahassee, Florida. “For many, a dementia diagnosis means they’ll become a caregiver to their parent. Their parent may move in with them or require a routine that completely changes a child’s lifestyle