{"id":27,"date":"2019-12-05T16:31:19","date_gmt":"2019-12-05T16:31:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/caregivers\/?p=27"},"modified":"2020-08-07T10:45:14","modified_gmt":"2020-08-07T15:45:14","slug":"a-dementia-diagnosis-transformed-their-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/caregivers\/2019\/12\/05\/a-dementia-diagnosis-transformed-their-family\/","title":{"rendered":"A Dementia Diagnosis Transformed Their Family"},"content":{"rendered":"

Living with a mental illness can be daunting. Caring for someone on that journey comes with its own unique challenges. One North Texas man adapted his life to become a caregiver when his mother was diagnosed with dementia. Now he\u2019s trying to balance her treatment, his career and their new day-to-day.<\/em><\/p>\n

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On a sunny afternoon at the Dallas Zoo, Tech Guerrero stands behind his mother Maria Luisa Castillo Rocha\u2019s wheelchair, snapping photos of lions in an enclosure. The family is here for the zoo’s\u00a0Wild Gatherings program<\/a>, designed for people with early-stage dementia.<\/p>\n

The program gives Guerrero<\/span> a chance to connect with other family caregivers from across North Texas, sharing advice and anecdotes. His mother gets to embrace nature.<\/p>\n

\"Tech<\/p>\n

Tech Guerrero (center) and his husband Michael Street have optimized their Dallas home for the comfort of Guerrero\u2019s mother, Maria Luisa Castillo Rocha. \/ Photo: Allison V. Smith<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cShe’s a retired banking manager for international banking in Mexico City, so she used to be very social and very verbally engaged,” Guerrero says. “And we’re here because we’re hoping that she will oil those motors of social engagement.”<\/p>\n

>>WATCH: Tech<\/strong> Guerrero go through a typical day caring for his mother.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Castillo Rocha is 90 and has been diagnosed with vascular dementia. Symptoms can include trouble paying attention, problem solving and slower thinking. Decades ago, Castillo\u00a0Rocha mentored other young women in her professional life. Friends and coworkers knew her as a great conversationalist, someone you could confide in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did not learn that my mom had any form of dementia until probably one or two years after she had been diagnosed,” Guerrero says. “And obviously, being the person affected by it, she didn\u2019t really pay a whole lot of attention to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guerrero got worried when his mother started showing symptoms, and he began making longer visits to see her in Mexico City. It took some convincing, but eventually, they decided she should move to Dallas.<\/p>\n

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  • \"Maria\n
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    For decades, Maria Luisa Castillo Rocha worked in the international banking industry in Mexico City. She's been diagnosed with vascular dementia. \/ Photo: Allison V. Smith<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  • \"Bins\n
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    Tech Guerrero stores his mother\u2019s medication in plastic bins, neatly labeled and stacked in one of his closets. \/ Photo: Allison V. Smith<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  • \"Tech\n
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    Tech Guerrero prefers to call himself a \u201ccare partner\u201d to his mother. \/ Photo: Allison V. Smith<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n