This former journalist helps caregivers get to know who their patients once were, before dementia took hold (washingtonpost.com)
Three years ago, when Jay Newton-Small moved her father into a care facility in Sykesville, Md., she was given a 20-page questionnaire to fill out. Her father had Alzheimer’s disease, and his fading memory and agitated behavior made it hard for caregivers to understand his needs. But as Newton-Small leafed through the lengthy form, she had a hunch that it was not the best approach. “I was like, ‘You’re never going to have time to read 20 pages on each patient,” said Newton-Small, a District...