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Helene Bergman, LMSW

Helene Bergman, LMSWHelene Bergman, LMSW

Elder Care Alternatives, New York, NY

Alzheimer's Disease

7 Answers6 Followers169 Helpful Answer Votes
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Bio

Helene Bergman, LMSW, is a certified geriatric care manager and the director of Elder Care Alternatives, a geriatric care management & long term care consultation practice in New York. She and her associate care managers provide comprehensive supportive services to older adults and their families with a specialty in Alzheimer's disease and caregiving.

Following a career in public elementary school teaching and administration, Bergman received a master’s in social work and embarked on a second career in geriatrics. Her initial work with Alzheimer’s was as a social worker in adult day care followed by years as a research associate at the NYU Aging & Dementia Research Center. There she was a family counselor in a landmark longitudinal study on spouse caregiving and co-authored the book Guiding the Alzheimer’s Caregiver: A Handbook for Counselors. She has led many caregiver support groups for the Alzheimer’s Association and served as a consultant to nursing homes and day care programs to develop specialized environments for Alzheimer’s patients.

Credentials

Organization Affiliations:
  • Elder Care Alternatives, New York, N.Y.
  • National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers
 

My Answers

Q. How do I deal with the guilt of not taking my mother to family events? She has Alzheimer’s and can’t handle crowds.
A. Families often feel emotional at holiday time especially if a parent is unable to join them to celebrate. You and your sister seem to be aware and...
Q. My husband has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimers and he is eating more carbs than ever. Is this common?
A. Nutrition is one of the areas that caregivers often must assume responsibility for... even if the person's Alzheimer's is at an early stage. A...
Q. What is the problem with protecting a loved one with Alzheimer's?
A. Alzheimer's disease often compromises one's independence even at its early stages. Initial symptoms such as short-term memory loss or disorientation...
Q. My dad's Alzheimer's is so bad, he kicks my mom out of the house. How can I help?
A. It clearly sounds like your dad needs medication to help with his agitation and psychotic behavior. I recommend you connect him with a local hospital...
Q. How can we help our mom with Alzheimer's, who forgets that Dad died six months ago, and grieves each time we tell her?
A. There are different schools of thought about reality orientation and dementia. Some believe that it is helpful to reorient a person with memory...
Q. How can I handle my sister, who is not helping me care for our dad who has Alzheimer's disease?
A. It is very common for old sibling relationship issues to re-emerge and heighten when as adults they are confronted with caregiving for a parent...
Q. My dad is in the early stages of dementia. How do I deal with my frustration when he asks the same questions constantly?
A. Your dad is exhibiting very common symptoms of early dementia: restlessness and impaired communication. Both of these symptoms can be frustrating to...
7 Answers