How Books, Films and Even Video Games Can Make Tough Conversations About Dementia Easier

Noticing changes in a loved one’s memory, behavior, or personality can bring up many emotions — concern, confusion, frustration, even guilt about whether or not to say something. For many families, dementia is not an easy subject to broach. And yet, beginning the conversations with different family members can be an important first step toward clarity and support.

At A New Hope Therapy Center, we regularly meet families wrestling with these concerns and how to broach the topic of seeking a dementia assessment with loved ones. There is no single “right way,” but approaching the subject with patience and empathy can help open the door.

Signs to Look Out For

Dementia looks different for each person, but there are some common changes that may be noticed by family, friends, or colleagues. These signs often appear gradually and may be mistaken at first for stress, tiredness, or simply “normal aging.” Yet when they begin to interfere with everyday life, they may be a signal to seek further support and assessment.

• Memory lapses that disrupt daily life: Forgetting recent events, repeating the same questions or stories, or misplacing items in unusual places (for example, putting keys in the fridge).

• Difficulty with familiar tasks: Struggling to follow a recipe, manage bills, use a phone, or complete hobbies once enjoyed with ease.

• Language and communication changes: Trouble finding the right words, losing their train of thought mid-sentence, or calling things by the wrong name.

• Disorientation in time or place: Getting confused about the day, month, or year; not knowing where they are, even in familiar settings.

• Changes in judgment or decision-making: Wearing clothes unsuitable for the weather, making unusual purchases, or showing less awareness of safety risks.

• Mood and personality shifts: Becoming unusually irritable, anxious, fearful, or suspicious, or showing less initiative than before.

  
  

It’s important to remember that not all of these changes mean someone has dementia. Other health issues can look very similar. But if you notice several of these signs occurring consistently, it may be time to encourage your loved one to see a health professional and consider a cognitive assessment.

Imagining into What Dementia Feels Like

While the signs might feel clear to see from the outside, it can be difficult to imagine what dementia feels like from within. This is where empathy becomes vital. When we try to step into the perspective of the person experiencing the changes, it can soften the way we approach them. Instead of feeling like an accusation like “you’re forgetting things” or “something’s wrong”, the conversation can become an invitation to walk together through what may be frightening or confusing for them (and us).

A powerful way to build this kind of empathy is through stories, films, and even interactive experiences. For example, the Academy Award–winning film you may have seen, Still Alice (2014), gives a moving portrayal of a linguistics professor whose early-onset Alzheimer’s gradually alters her daily life and sense of self. By keeping the focus on Alice’s point of view, the film draws us into the ebb and flow of her memory, showing both her moments of clarity and the heartbreaking times when she feels she has “lost herself.”

Moreover, the interactive video game Before I Forget offers another perspective by placing players directly inside the experience of a woman with dementia. Faded photographs, scattered notes, and household objects briefly reconnect her to the past, only to slip away again. As you piece together her story, you share in her confusion and fleeting moments of recognition.

Building Empathy Helps Us Navigate These Conversations

Empathy matters because dementia can carry with it not only memory loss but also fear of losing independence, identity, and dignity. Many people feel anxious or defensive when the subject is raised, and it's not uncommon for the person involved to deny that there are any changes. Resistance to the possibility or assessment of dementia can be rooted in painful memories of watching family members or friends face the illness as a child, younger or older adult, perhaps without support at the time to navigate the deep emotions these situations often stir.

Though not always an easy read, the graphic novel Wrinkles (also made into an animated film) can help families lean empathically into both the anxieties, practical struggles and existential questions loved ones may be facing, especially for those who have seen friends or relatives living with dementia in residential care. Through shifting scenes of memory, fantasy, and reality, it offers glimpses into the minds of residents navigating dementia. What could feel unbearably heavy is instead infused with humanity, gentle humor, tender friendships, and the small rituals that give daily life meaning.

Moreover, creative works such as these remind us that dementia is not only about what is lost, but also about what endures - relationships, personality, laughter, and above all, the need for compassion.

When approaching a loved one about your concerns, grounding ourselves in empathy first and holding these perspectives in mind can help us speak gently, listen deeply, and acknowledge their experience without judgment. In doing so, we make it more likely that our loved one will feel understood rather than confronted.

Seeking Clarity Through Assessment

Noticing possible signs of dementia in yourself or a loved one can feel overwhelming, but taking the step toward assessment can also bring relief. Timely testing can also make a significant difference, enabling you to take proactive steps to get the right support and promote your brain health. At A New Hope Therapy Center, we understand how difficult it is to consider these possibilities, and we’re here to offer expert resources to support you.

Our Alzheimer’s and dementia cognitive assessments, available both in-person in Las Cruces and online across New Mexico, provide an accessible, accurate way to gain clarity. The process is simple, supportive, and convenient. You can take the assessment in the comfort of your own home or in our office, using a range of devices, and the assessment tasks themselves are designed to be interactive, engaging, and easy to follow. Once completed, you’ll receive a detailed report with insights you can use to take the next steps toward understanding and support. To find out more or to book an assessment, click here.

Supporting the Whole Family

Dementia never impacts just one person — it ripples across the whole family system. Partners, children, and other family members and friends may all carry distinct emotions such as grief, confusion, worry, and responsibility.

For parents in the ever-growing so-called 'squeezed middle' generation, this can mean juggling the demands of caring for aging parents while still raising children of your own. The pressure can feel relentless, and at A New Hope Therapy Center, we often provide emotional support for parents where having a loved one with dementia is part of the picture.

Moreover, children may feel confused, frightened, or left out when navigating a family member with possible or diagnosed dementia. There are many wonderful children's books for different ages available such as those highlighted in the image below, or you can download this book series authored by the psychiatrist Tomás León, and available in Spanish and English, by clicking here.

Some children and families benefit from emotional support from a professional outside of the family. Therapy for children, teens, parents individually and/or families together can offer safe spaces to process emotions, ask questions, and feel included in developmentally appropriate and meaningful ways.

A key benefit of ensuring children are supported through these moments is that it helps them weave dementia into their understanding of life in a way that feels less frightening and more human. When children are given developmentally-appropriate explanations and space to share their feelings and witness parents and family members also able to hold space for these conversations, they learn that even very hard things can be talked about, held, and faced together. This kind of support does more than ease today’s worries. It also plants seeds for the future. One day, these same children may become adults who are caring for a partner or parent with dementia, or even find themselves facing cognitive changes of their own. Having grown up with honesty, compassion, and reassurance, they are more likely to approach dementia not only with less fear, but with the confidence that love, dignity, and connection are still possible in the midst of such change.

Taking the Next Step Together

Noticing possible signs of dementia can feel like standing at the edge of an uncertain path. But you do not need to walk that path alone. With the right support, families can move from fear toward clarity, and from isolation toward connection. Making sure the wider family has outlets for support helps prevent burnout and strengthens the capacity to care with patience and compassion.

If you or your loved one are concerned about memory changes, reach out to us today. An assessment can provide the first step toward understanding, and compassionate support for the whole family can make the journey less overwhelming, prevent burnout, and strengthen the capacity of all to stay connected with compassion.

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A self-described geek, Maria Laquerre-Diego is a CEO and Owner who is committed to increasing access to mental health services and breaking down the stigma surrounding therapy services. As a therapist turned CEO, Maria has developed a unique perspective when it comes to mental health and the barriers surrounding mental health treatment. Influenced by her time at New Mexico State University in the Family and Consumer Science department and the University of New Hampshire’s Marriage and Family Therapy department, Maria has turned her dedication to giving back and supporting future generations of therapists. In addition to supporting mental health providers, Maria takes an active role in addressing the continued stigma of mental health services through the use of pop culture – everything from movies and television shows to superheroes and Disney characters. Maria has spoken about mental health at several local events, has served as an officer on professional boards, and has provided training to clinicians all over the country while maintaining her and her family’s roots as Aggies! Outside of the office, Maria can be found spending time with her family and loved ones, exploring the world through travel, and creating cosplays for herself, her husband, and their two little ones. Maria is always happy to talk about Star Wars, Marvel, and mental health and can be contacted through her practice website www.anewhopetc.org