KHN Conversation on Living Well with Dementia

Kaiser Health News (KHN) on Feb. 13 hosted a discussion about improving care and services for people with dementia and supporting caregivers. It was an opportunity to learn from experts about the challenges and difficulties facing individuals, caregivers, the community, and policymakers. Among the subjects raised were understanding the stages of dementia from a medical, social, psychological, and environmental point of view, ways to find help, managing difficult behaviors, and understanding medications for people with dementia. KHN's "Navigating Aging" columnist Judith Graham led a discussion with panelists that included the University of Pennsylvania's Nancy A. Hodgson, a specialist on dementia care and end-of-life care for people with dementia; University of Michigan geriatric psychiatrist Helen Kales, an expert on dementia care and mental health issues; New York University Professor Yvonne Latty, whose mother has Alzheimer's; Katie Maslow with the Gerontological Society of America, an expert on improving care for people with dementia and supporting caregivers; and Mary L. Radnofsky, a former professor who lives independently since being diagnosed with dementia 12 years ago and who is an advocate for persons with dementia.