Glenner Memory Care Centers CEO Anette Asher discussed what life is like for people with dementia today during a segment on the U-T TV program “Spotlight San Diego.”
Anette Asher spoke at length with show host Scott Kaplan about the organization and the importance of understanding what life is like for someone with memory loss as we are struck by the first wave of a “silver tsunami” due to an aging society.
“Thirty years ago people didn’t really understand what Alzheimer’s is,” Asher said. She then compared the stigma of dementia to alcoholism in the 1970s before Alcoholics Anonymous educated the public on alcoholism as a disease. “Millions are turning 65 each year … and if a heart attack or cancer or another illness doesn’t get them, they are likely to develop dementia as they age,” she said.
During the segment Kaplan was put through a brief version of the Virtual Dementia Tour conducted by staff at Silverado Senior Living in Escondido. He wore goggles to impair his vision, special gloves that limit dexterity and a device to impede his hearing. “I think if people had more sensitivity to what these folks were feeling and experiencing . . . I had no idea,” he said at the end of the segment.
You can view the archived video here.
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