PBS News Hour

JOHN YANG: A diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease can turn loved ones into caretakers.

Each year, according to the Alzheimer's Association, more than 11 million Americans look after family or friends with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia unpaid and usually untrained, many up in their lives to devote themselves to the task.

That lack of proper training can affect their own health.

The CDC says that these caregivers have an elevated risk of depression, weakened immune systems, and early death.

Teepa Snow is the Founder and CEO of Positive Approach to Care, which offers training for dementia caregivers.

Teepa, do we have to rethink our approach to caring for people with dementia?

TEEPA SNOW, CEO, Positive Approach to Care: Yeah.

So, if we get an early recognition of what we're looking at, it helps us get ready for this transitioning.

And if I then get of training so that when somebody says to me, I never talked to you, and it's like, well, we just talked 20 minutes ago.

If I'm trained to say, oh, so I've not talked to you lately, it tends to result in less stress and distress in the engagement.

And as the condition changes more, we're better prepared to be in the right place at the right time or know when I need help.

I'm not able to do this without greater amounts of training, or I need to switch places.

I'm not meant to be a hands-on person, I can guide, and that's what I'd best at.

JOHN YANG: We talked about the health effects on these caregivers, and you talked about the stress that they may feel.

Is there an effect on the patient receiving care?

TEEPA SNOW: There is.

It turns out when caregivers are stressed out, that stress translates into greater probability of a behavioral reaction, lesser ability to connect and communicate, a greater possibility of an attempt to Elo (ph), which then just perpetuates the problem.

JOHN YANG: I want to play a little sound for you.

This is Jacquelyn Revere.

She's a TikTok Creator.

She's posted content about her caregiving journey, and she recently told us about the emotional toll she feels.

JACQUELYN REVERE: It was the moment that my mom forgot that she was my mom, and it broke my heart.

Caregivers need to feel seen.

Caregivers need support.

Caregivers need the social system to support them also.

JOHN YANG: What would you say to her?

TEEPA SNOW: Absolutely right, because the system as it exists is not supporting the providers of care for people living with dementia.

About 70% to 80% of care that is given by families friends and unpaid individuals, and it results in social isolation and a sense of helplessness.

And that absolutely is not reasonable.

JOHN YANG: Tell us about the training that your company positive approach to care offers?

TEEPA SNOW: We start off with fairly simple ideas, like how do brains work and what can happen to yours if we don't do some retraining.

And then, it's often simple things, like if the person's visual of fields is getting smaller and smaller, then when you want to interact, you want to make sure you are where they can see you recognizing that language rhythms can be picked up, but language content is missed, can make a big difference.

So, I want to use a visual cue, not just verbal information to share.

JOHN YANG: Are medical professionals getting enough training with Alzheimer's?

TEEPA SNOW: We are probably about 25 years behind where we need to be in this moment of time.

Whether we're talking about physicians or nurses or rehab professionals, social workers, it's seen as a sidebar rather than a major player in what we're going to be experiencing in this time period.

This next generation, as the baby boomers are hitting the stride of developing dementias at a high rate.

JOHN YANG: Teepa Snow, positive approach to care, thank you very much.