Episode 52: What Dementia Really Looks Like at Home

When a family member starts to struggle, the signs can be easy to explain away. But there’s a difference between the kind of forgetting that comes with a busy life and the kind that signals something more.  Knowing that difference matters.

In this episode of ComForConnections, host Tiffany Robison sits down with Dr. Reza Hosseini Ghomi, MD, MSE, a neuropsychiatrist and biomedical engineer with specialized training in neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and frontotemporal dementia. Dr. Hosseini Ghomi has spent his career building tools to bring expert dementia care to more patients, including those in rural and underserved communities.

Together, they walk through what families and caregivers actually need to know, from the earliest signs of cognitive change to what daily life with dementia can look like when the right support is in place.

Listen Now:

What you’ll learn in this episode

• The difference between normal age-related memory change and early signs of dementia 
• Health conditions that can worsen cognitive symptoms, including sleep apnea, high blood pressure, and certain common medications
• What the diagnostic process looks like, and why a formal diagnosis unlocks treatment options and caregiver support families may not know are available
• Where dementia care technology is delivering real results 
• How to navigate difficult conversations about safety and independence, from driving to daily routines
• What a good day looks like for someone living with dementia at home

Additional resources:

• Brain Minded MD — Dr. Hosseini Ghomi’s educational content on brain health and cognitive longevity
• Frontier Psychiatry — Dr. Hosseini Ghomi’s telepsychiatry practice serving rural and underserved communities
• MedFlow — Co-founded by Dr. Hosseini Ghomi, focused on value-based care delivery
• OpenHI — Co-founded by Dr. Hosseini Ghomi, an open-source platform for healthcare organization management

Featured Guest

Dr. Reza Hosseini Ghomi, MD, MSE is a neuropsychiatrist and biomedical engineer whose clinical work centers on neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and frontotemporal dementia. He is the founder of Frontier Psychiatry, a telepsychiatry practice serving rural and underserved communities across Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Alaska, and co-founder of MedFlow, a platform focused on value-based care delivery. His research and technology work spans digital cognitive testing, EHR automation, and voice-based biomarkers for early dementia detection. He came to medicine after a career in naval systems engineering and a personal experience with cancer at 22, an experience that continues to shape how he thinks about building care systems that are both clinically rigorous and practically accessible.

Episode Transcript 

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About the Host

Tiffany Robinson is a passionate advocate for caregiver education. As the host of ComForConnections, she brings warmth, insight, and a deep understanding of the caregiving experience to every episode.