You Can 'Live Your Best Life' With Dementia — Even During A Pandemic.

Arlington TX

22 December, 2021

5:19 PM

Description

By Alexis Allison, Fort Worth Report December 21, 2021 Don Gasser's home office in North Richland Hills is a tribute to a systematic hand and creative mind. Acrylic paintings, many of trees, adorn the walls. Wooden models rest near antique clocks on shelves that nearly reach the ceiling. He's built, painted or tinkered with nearly every item, a habit of craftsmanship he's honed in the decade since his dementia diagnosis. "I'm not intellectually compromised," Gasser, 64, said. "I still think, I still read, I still paint. Those things all help me stay focused." For Gasser and his wife, Myra, life centers routine, socializing and helping others cope with a condition that affects millions of Americans but that's often misunderstood. And because of a community of "dementia friendly" organizations in Fort Worth, they've been able to maintain that lifestyle even during the pandemic, which has disproportionately affected people with dementia. To read the full article, click here. Fort Worth Report is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that produces factual, in-depth journalism about city and county government, schools, healthcare, business, and arts and culture in Tarrant County. Always free to read; subscribe to newsletters, read coverage or support our newsroom at fortworthreport.org.