Dementia Success Stories:
“How we made a difference for self and those around us AFTER diagnosis”
A dementia brain-storming project by participants of PWD Perspective newsletter

1) Label: Paulan
2) Previous/current occupation: 10 years as operations director for major financial institution and 20 years owning a travel consulting firm 3) Nation/state? USA, Ohio
4) Age at tentative diagnosis: 57 yrs
5) Year of diagnosis: 2012
6) How long for definitive diagnosis? 3 yrs
7) Type of dementia, if known: Vascular dementia
8) Since diagnosis, what one or more action, success, or accomplishment do you take pride in? Working as a mentor & providing feedback to others newly diagnosed.  Link for “Dementia in the Dark” video is http://www.vimeo.com/115911169
9) What do you wish your primary Physician knew about dementia? … about you? Everything – my primary care doctor basically ignores it and doesn’t ask or talk about it. I think she doesn’t know what to say. I doubt if she knows about medicine and interactions with dementia. She does prescribe high blood pressure med and cholesterol for vascular dementia but she had been doing that for years.
10) What do you wish your specialist Physician knew about dementia? … about you? 1 year between appointments is ridiculous in a progressive disease situation. The specialist should provide some more feedback to the patient. He gave me nothing – nothing about what dementia was, no reference flyers of booklets, no suggestion for online help.
11) What do you wish your family knew about dementia? … about you? My family doesn’t understand the full ramifications of what’s happening to me – lots of denial. They just think dementia is only about forgetting.They tend to underestimate my symptoms. Hope this helps.

Paulan is active member of Dementia Mentors.

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