How to talk with someone with dementia
UCI Health neuropsychologist urges self-compassion
IN THE NEWS: Caregiving for a loved one with dementia can be rewarding, but it can also be difficult.
UCI Health board-certified neuropsychologist Hayley B. Kristinsson recently spoke with U.S. News & World Report about some of the challenges caregivers face.
“Having a loved one with dementia can be emotionally taxing, and you can’t get it right all the time. Remember to give yourself the same compassion that you offer your loved one.”
Kristinsson also said that awareness of one’s cognitive deficits in dementia varies widely and may change over time. Some individuals, particularly in earlier stages, may recognize that their memory or thinking is not as reliable as it used to be. This awareness can come and go, she noted, and it is often accompanied by anxiety, frustration or embarrassment.
Kristinsson is a board-certified UCI Health neuropsychologist who sees patients at the UCI Health Memory Disorders Program. Her clinical interests include memory loss, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, cognitive issues in aging, neuropsychological testing and neurological disorders. She’s also an assistant professor and the director of clinical training for adult neuropsychology in the Department of Neurology at the UC Irvine School of Medicine.
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About UCI Health
UCI Health, one of California’s largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The 1,461-bed system comprises its main campus UCI Health — Orange, its flagship hospital, the UCI Health — Irvine acute care hospital and medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and a network of ambulatory care centers across the region. UCI Health — Orange provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to the only Orange County-based National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).