Please share your experiences, your questions, and your ideas about individuals who are experiencing forgetfulness and depression in early and mid-stage dementia in community settings.

Hello Margaret,

Thank you so much for your note. It is touching that you would take time to research and write about your customer’s situation. Sad but true our culture both in it’s physical dimensions and psychological dimensions is simply not friendly or safe for an individual such as your customer. Apparently you are an exception and have created “sacred space” for him. He must feel safe in your shop and feel safe enough even to express his anger. That is a blessing. Your shop may be the best place for him at the moment. I imagine that is something you might not have expected to hear . . . That you are already doing a lot for him.

In addition, if you want to describe a specific incident or recurring incident, then I can try to provide a simple intervention that may help or temporarily relieve the situation. Within his anger, for example, is the seed of a creative opportunity. The anger is the messenger, not the message. But this presumes that you would be courageous enough to want to try to work with him to some extent. That is not everybody’s cup of tea.

My heartfelt thank you for all that you are doing to make this world with it’s many transitions a more precious and rewarding experience for all.