They May Not Understand. But They Still Feel. with Adria Thompson

Julie (0:00)

Oh my gosh, you guys, we're not going to edit this out. I just want everyone to know that there's like a wild ass storm. But I love it.

Adria Thompson (0:08)

That lightning bolt was like behind my neighbor's house. I'm sure we're fine. Let's keep it rolling. Yeah.

Julie (0:24)

Welcome back everybody to another episode of It's Okay, We're All Gonna Die. And today, I am so excited because we are finally talking about dementia.

I have one of, I think, one of the leading experts of how to work with someone who has dementia. And we're gonna learn all the tips and tricks on like, just how to care for someone who has dementia. So please welcome my guest, Adria Thompson. She is a speech pathologist, speech and language pathologist and a dementia care educator.

Adria Thompson (1:01)

Thanks for having me, Julie.

Julie (1:02)

Oh my gosh. I'm so excited for you to be here. I was telling her earlier that I feel like I really know her already and like that we've met and that we're friends and I don't really think we have. But I just feel like because of social media, I'm like, oh no, girl, hey, what's up? I can't wait to talk to you.

Adria Thompson (1:19)

Yeah. I mean, I think that we have parasocial relationships with each other. It's like people have with us sometimes.

Julie (1:25)

Exactly. Yeah. So you, that's where I found you. I found her on Instagram, but I think you're on all social media, I'm assuming. That's right.

What's your name real quick, just so we know how to find you?

Adria Thompson (1:38)

It's Be Light Care.

Julie (1:40)

Be Light Care. Now, the reason why I wanted to have her on, I mean, there's many reasons, but people need to know how to practically, like, what are practical ways to help care for someone with dementia? Because unfortunately, you get a loved one diagnosed with dementia, and there's not, like, really a playbook that you get handed. And I feel like that's why your channel is so valuable, because you literally have video after video of, like, your loved one keeps asking the same question over and over again, here's what to do, or here's what I do, right? And I often on my channel talk a lot about the very, very end stages of the umbrella of dementia. As we know, there's many types. You know, I know what it's like and how to help with someone who is very, very end stage, but you talk about the gamut, you know, I feel like you do the hard part. And the hard part that I don't really have a lot of experience in is before their, before their end stage, before they're on hospice.

So how did you go, you know, how did you get into this being your expertise, even though I know she keeps being like, I don't necessarily need to say I'm an expert, but I think you are. Thanks.

Adria Thompson (2:59)

No, it's a great question. I think it's a misconception about dementia, that it's a diagnosis that you die from. And certainly we can talk about that. But more than anything, people are living with dementia and living for a long time and so the way that I kind of found this space is I went to school to be a speech language pathologist or speech therapist. It means the same thing. And I started working in nursing homes. And in my training and background, like in school, I was ready to work with people who've had a stroke, who lost their speech, or maybe they have swallowing disorders. And that was really what I was excited about. And what I found was that the majority of the residents I worked with in these long-term care spaces had dementia as well. And the dementia really impacted the way that I could provide speech therapy services to them, because they might not remember me from one day to the next, or remember the tips and tricks that I was sharing with them about their swallowing. And so really, my interaction and introduction to dementia was one of frustration, because it was like screwing up my plans, right? Like I had a plan to go in there and to help this person, and it just made things complicated.

And so over almost a decade of working in long-term care communities, and then also my grandmother getting a diagnosis of dementia, I started realizing like I'm not the only one who's experiencing frustration here.

And my gosh, like who am I to think that it's hard on me, you know, and just seeing care partners and family members just struggling with how to communicate with and care for these people with dementia that I was beginning to love and like build relationships with.