About
About Sharon Burns, Founder of Unlocking Dementia
Sharon Burns, owner of Unlocking Dementia, has a Masters in GeroPsychology (the study of aging), a retired EMT, former certified independent caregiver, and has been a family caregiver for 3 generations of Dementia patients. In the early 1980’s, her grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Her mother-in-law was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2005 and her father was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2014. Finally, her husband was diagnosed with Lewy Bodies in 2019.
While studying for her masters, her initial research project was in dementia. The information gained then, and the subsequent information obtained during continued research has been compiled into a wealth of information that needs to be shared. Unlocking Dementia is the beginning of distributing that information in easy-to-understand language without all the medical jargon that often clouds the information.
She hopes you gain insight into the complex and tangled life that dementia puts us in by surfing through this website. Unlocking Dementia is a live website that will continually be enhanced as new developments are exposed. Our audience is the best source of new insight into the world of dementia, and we welcome any input you may have. Click here to contact us.
Navigating the Site
The goal of Unlocking Dementia is to provide up-to-date information that can be easily accessed and clearly written, so the information is beneficial to those living with dementia and their caregivers. Each blog provides more specific in-depth information that helps those living with dementia and their caregivers to understand the complexity of this disease when the information is needed.
Our blogs are designed to provide the level of detail requested by you. Short blogs will be just long enough to get a general understanding of a specific topic. The more in-depth blogs will go deeper into a topic, offering the reader specifics with more detailed information. Other blogs will cross the boundaries of the type of dementia to incorporate similar symptoms, tips for better quality of life and ways to assist the caregiver in their care.
This site is designed like a tree. The trunk is heart of Dementia as we know it today and is the base of information written in an easy to understand format. Branches coming from the trunk contain information of the different types of dementia which in turn branch off to information specific to that type of dementia. Branches will also include related topics such as emotional support, financial, legal, and health care issues, and resources available.
As all trees grow and add branches, so will our information. Dementia is a disease that has specific symptoms for each of the types of dementia, but there are also crossovers or interconnected symptoms that blend with other forms of dementia. Understanding the complexity of the disease is often difficult and by using everyday language and uncomplicated explanations, we will help guide you through those connections.
This is a living document as is dementia knowledge, so some of the links may be a place holder for more in-depth information as we learn more about the very complex, but somewhat predictable disease.
The data contained within this site is for informational purposes only and should be used as such. It is not intended to be medical advice and used as a diagnosing tool. It is the sole purpose of Unlocking Dementia to help further understand medical jargon using everyday words and explanations. There is no subscription to use this site, however contributions will be used to provide more information and keep the blogs and features alive and updated.
If you feel you can contribute, please let us know. The Monster Dementia steals from everyone, not just those living with dementia. Experiences from our readers enhance the journey and help to see this disease from a different point of view. If you are just browsing, enjoy the information and come back soon to check on updates. We hope you will gain a little bit of information as your search through the various topics.