How to talk with someone with dementia
UCI Health neuropsychologist urges self-compassion
IN THE NEWS: Caring for a loved one with dementia can be rewarding as it is difficult.
UCI Health board-certified neuropsychologist Hayley B. Kristinsson recently spoke with U.S. News & World Report about the need for grace with oneself.
“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 is one of California’s largest academic health systems and the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Established on July 1, 1976, UCI Health has grown into a 1,461-bed health system that includes UCI Health — Orange, UCI Health — Irvine, four Community Network hospitals and a growing network of ambulatory care centers across Orange and Los Angeles counties. As Orange County’s only academic health systems, UCI Health is home to the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center based in the county, the region’s only American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, American College of Emergency Physicians Gold Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department and a nationally recognized regional burn center verified by the American Burn Association. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people across Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County through excellence in patient care, research and medical education. Follow UCI Health on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.