Adamsky Law Offices Blog

It's clearly Spring around here.  On the way to work this morning I saw several groups of Turkeys.  In each group there was at least one male presenting his tail for the females.  This looks like the classic picture you see of a Turkey around Thanksgiving with his big tail unfurled like a peacock.  But, you won't see that in November, it is courting behavior used in the Spring to find a mate.  Imagine if we humans had some sort of mating system like that.  The males puff themselves up, furl out their tails and strut around waiting for a female to find them attractive ... that would be something  ... oh, wait! Three Turkeys at my Bird Feeder - April 2011 (C) Edward Adamsky, 2011

I have often written about dealing with dementia patients. They do not react like people whose brains are functioning normally. About 5-10% of dimentia patients exhibit violent behavior. The cause of the violent behavior may not be known and it can come from any number of triggers (or nothing). Dealing with a violent family member can be difficult.  Here are some tips: 1.Back down . If your loved-one gets angry because he doesn’t want to take a shower, drop it and try again later when his mood has improved. 2.Apologize , even if it’s not your fault. This will buy you time and good will. 3.Change the topic . Stay calm and change the subject to something your loved-one usually enjoys. 4.Remember the world is distorted for those with Dementia . They are sensitive to noise and become fatigued easily.  What is going on around them may not make sense as their brain cannot comprehend or remember context. 5.Call for help . For emergencies, call 911. For non-emergencies, call the Alzh

The New York Times recently posted the article linked below about dementia. I have been discussing this with my clients for years. You cannot usually engage in a logical argument with a one-year old child, and sometimes you cannot do so with an elder who has advanced dementia. You must deal with the disease of the mind in a way that works for that person. The first time I heard of this issue was from a nurse at a nursing home. She said sometimes you just have to lie to someone, but she didn't call it a "lie" she said most of the time the "lies" were not big enough to even be called a "fib" this nurse called it a "fiblet." That is a little white-lie that helps to calm and redirect the patient so she is not upset by the issue. You probably don't want to keep telling someone that her loved-one has died, but you might want to tell her that lunch will arive "soon" even though she just ate. I faced this issue personally with my gr