The Language of Dementia – PWD & PWoD?

There’s been more discussion lately about the stigma of dementia and Alzheimer’s. The stigma takes root in the language we use, which shapes what we believe and then affects how we treat people with dementia. Oftentimes, the media (unknowingly) will use “Alzheimer’s victim ” or the “dementia sufferer .” The unintended result of this language is two-fold. One, it places the primary focus on Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, a group of symptoms, instead of the person. I recall a similar language issue, years earlier, when tasked with delivering corporate training to raise employee awareness of the “handicapped.” Instead of […]