Ask the doc: My grandmother has dementia

Q. I am very concerned about my mother. She is the only daughter for my grandmother and has to care for her. My grandmother has dementia. She refuses to send her to a nursing home.

A: You can support your mother by ensuring that she gets time to rest and relax while caring for your grandmother. Set up a schedule where family members can stay with grandma while mother gets a break.

Q. My 20-year-old daughter graduates from college in the fall and plans to be married in January. Can I stop her?

A: Legally, your daughter is an adult. You can recommend that she participates in pre-marital counselling as this will help her to understand what she is getting into.

Q. My daughter is using a face cleanser that causes her skin to get pale. It is one I used as a child. How can I get her to stop?

A: Share with your daughter simple facts on how her skin is being damaged. Take her to a medical doctor so he or she can explain even further.

- Orlean Brown-Earle, PhD, is a child psychologist and family therapist. Dr Brown-Earle works with children with learning and behavioural problems throughout the island and in the Caribbean. Email questions to editor@gleanerjm.com or send to Ask the Doc, c/o The Gleaner Company, 7 North Street, Kingston. Responses to concerns are to be considered as general, as cases shared with psychologists privately would be queried more deeply. Pray always!