The Complexity of Dementia: "The hardest thing I think about dementia for families is that the person doesn't look physically ill until they lose about a pound of brain tissue and are in stage 6 of the disease."
— Tam Cummings, PH.D.

Welcome to "Life Happens with Kim Hegwood," the podcast that accompanies you through life's unexpected hurdles. In this episode, we are honored to host Dr. Tam Cummings, a special guest who illuminates the intricacies of dementia and emphasizes the crucial necessity of early detection and behavior observation.

Dr. Cummings dives into the diverse stages of dementia, exploring common forms such as toxic dementias. She underscores the significance of identifying the specific type of dementia to tailor appropriate care. Join us as we navigate the realm of dementia diagnosis and treatment, gaining insights into the observational and staging tools utilized to assess behaviors in individuals with dementia.

Tune in as we unravel the complexities of dementia, providing valuable perspectives for both individuals and families grappling with these challenges!

Contact Tam:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.tamcummings.com

About Tam:
Tam Cummings, PhD, founded her company in 2009 with the mission to “Inspire, Educate, and Empower Dementia Caregivers.” Now her professional gerontology practice in the Texas Hill Country is recognized as one of the leading educators of dementia caregivers and program design for dementia care in Texas and nationally. Dr. Cummings has consistently been reviewed as the topranked speaker at more than 300 national, regional and state conferences. Some of her accomplishments include the following:

• Authored and published four books for dementia caregivers.
• Appears as an expert guest in national podcasts for dementia caregivers.
• Developed the Dementia Behavioral Assessment Tool (DBAT) for staging dementias from 25 years of research in skilled nursing facilities and memory care communities.
• Developed a classification and staging tool for the behavioral, communication, and movement variations of Frontotemporal Dementias, the only tool of its kind.
• Recognized as the subject matter expert (SME) and program designer in a 20182019 CMP Project awarded to Texas Health and Human Services. Cummings developed training for frontline staff to include clinical features of each major form of dementia, specific behaviors presented by different dementias, and correct approaches to activities of daily living (ADL) care for individual residents.
• Selected as the subject matter expert to design and develop the training content for a 20162018 CMP with the Texas Health Care Association. This pilot program reduced the use of antipsychotic medications in skilled nursing by training professional and family caregivers to recognize the most common forms of dementia and the behaviors associated with each disease. Additional components included designing and teaching activity directors to implement appropriate activities for persons with dementia, teaching family caregivers about dementia, and offering Medical Education Credits for physicians.
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