before i start sharing what i'm learning about dementia/aging

it's time for a disclaimer: i am no expert in working with the late-age adult population. in fact, i'm only a student. the information i share with you in this space is meant to be helpful and perhaps encourage you to seek out resources for your friend or family member who is aging. 

here's what you should know before you listen to me: i have four months left of a masters program (counseling psychology with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy) at the university of san francisco. my experience in working with this population includes being a practicum student for a non-profit agency in the bay area which has the goal of helping seniors live independently for as long as possible. i see clients weekly in their homes for individual psychotherapy who deal with a variety of issues ranging from dementia (alzheimer's and vascular type) to grief and loss. my clients are extremely diverse in ethnicity and socioeconomic status. i just recently started doing behavioral assessment, specifically working with two types of assessments (the mini [mini international neuropsychiatric interview], and a quality of life test). i am becoming well versed in major dsm axis one diagnosis, though the dsm is probably my least favorite book. i'm mostly trained in cognitive behavioral therapy, though that doesn't always work with dementia. recently, i'm using more supportive and strengths based models of therapy.

a common response i get when i tell people what i do is, "you'd think that by that age you'd have life figured out." and when people say that, i think to myself one of two things. either "just wait. you have no idea." or i get cynical and say, "you'd think by this time in america's history, we'd know how to take care of the old and care for them properly." the reality of our current situation is scary. i know it's not easy to understand because the problem we face is out in the distance; however, i challenge us all to be proactive instead of reactive. (i will give you more information on our current situation later.)

i hope to take what i'm learning and share it with you-- knowledge is power. i will do my best to give credit where credit is due and provide as many links as possible. feel free to ask me questions, too. if i don't know the answer, i'm around a lot people who will. like i said, proactive not reactive. 

and now that the disclaimer is over, i'm too tired to share anything of importance. oh well. forgive me.