On July 12 in Spur Dr. Tam Cummings introduced herself to a theater full of tense individuals who had one thing in common: navigating their journey with dementia caregiving.
Cummings, a gerontologist with a practice in the Texas Hill Country who holds a Ph.D. in educational psychology and rural public health, is a public speaker, author and founder of her own company. She visited Spur to educate community members about dementia and its effect on caregivers. Around 45 people gathered at the city’s Palace Theater to grow their knowledge of a disease that, unfortunately, cannot be cured.
Before the presentation, Dickens County Judge Kevin Brendle introduced Cummings as a captivating and entertaining speaker. Brendle first came in contact with her at a guardianship school back in the spring of 2023 and decided that her detailed informational presentation for the community of Spur would be beneficial.
“This is good for us to know,” said Brendle. Cummings’ goal is to educate, inspire, and empower dementia caregivers, and with a four-hour presentation that included visuals and real-life experiences, she did just that.
LEARNING ABOUT DEMENTIA Around 45 members of the community gathered at Spur’s Palace Theater for a presentation by gerontologist Dr. Tam Cummings. | THE TEXAS SPUR
See DEMENTIA, page 7 Cummings provided free copies of her book “The Itty-Bitty Dementia” to follow along with her slide-show presentation. Resources for dementia caregivers are included in the back of her book. Throughout the exhibition, members learned how to identify the nine dementias; how to tell if a dementia patient is dehydrated; and how to take care of themselves given the circumstances at hand. She included a demonstration of calming breathing techniques and encouraged participants to actually practice them with her during parts of the presentation that contained heavy information. Despite the seriousness of the subject, Cummings was not shy to crack a few jokes that brought light onto an illness that often breaks up families.
Cummings used cancer as an example to show detrimental dementia is. She explained that it is more difficult for a dementia patient to understand their illness than it is for a cancer patient.
“The brain does not realize that it’s damaged,” said Cummings.
There are seven stages of dementia, but according to Cummings, a person with dementia does not begin to look sick until the sixth stage. By that point, one pound of brain tissue has already been lost. The left side of the brain that controls formal language is the first to die.
Cummings also touched on the importance of health for caregivers. Depression, anxiety, guilt and postdeath grief are common for caregivers to experience. Cummings has supplied various tests for caregivers to take in the back of her book. These tests will help determine what levels of stress are apparent, and how to cope with them. The importance of prioritizing mental stability was reiterated throughout the presentation.
After the first two hours of the session, members gathered at the Spur Senior Center for a healthy lunch provided by its staff. Citizens of Spur and surrounding towns were given the opportunity to socialize and relate to their peers during the one-hour lunch break provided. After lunch, the presentation went on for twomoreworthwhilehours.
Thanks to Cummings, the city of Spur is now equipped to handle any battle dementia may entail. Better yet, Cummings brought Dementia caregivers together and inspired them to what feels impossible— to keep going.
Those interested in futher information may visit Cummings’ website at www.tamcummings.com.
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