On this page, we provide you with general advice and information to help you and your family/friends to live well with PCA. Please do keep in mind that everyone does not live with PCA in the same way and factors such as the underlying condition causing PCA, age, general health, family circumstances, living environment and other factors may contribute to varied experiences.
It is highly recommended by RDS Canada members that, following a diagnosis, it is important to find resources to help you understand your dementia. Many people tell us that they prefer to gather information slowly. Please keep in mind that because PCA is rare, many people you interact with may not understand your dementia and its impact on your day-to-day living.
We provide some information on our website and we host webinars on PCA in partnership with RDS UK throughout the year. Our webinars are designed to connect you with up-to-date information on PCA, including recent research developments. We also encourage you to think about joining our PCA support group to learn more, speak with practitioners, and connect with other Canadians who are also living with PCA. For more information on our webinars and PCA support group, please register as a member.
For tips on living well with PCA, visit PCA Tips.
If you have experienced visual loss, there are practical visual aids that can help you. These include:
- talking clocks and watches
- telephones with simplified displays or pre-programmable direct-dial buttons
- cooking aids such as sensors which beep when a cup is nearly full
- audio books, podcasts and texts available on CD or online
- audio guides for arts and cultural events such as theatre, galleries and museums
- smart home devices that use voice control to turn on, for example, the radio or lights
Other visual aids may be available through Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada. Please note that not all aids for people with eye-related visual problems will be suitable for people living with PCA. PCA often involves difficulties with spatial perception (i.e., perceiving the location of an object and our body’s position in relation to them) and awareness across the senses such ‘hearing and feeling where’ not just ‘seeing where’, and in imaging what and where things are (e.g., seeing in your mind).
ReadClear is a new e-reader developed by Dr. Aida Suárez González and colleagues at University College London, and people living with PCA. Aida’s research demonstrates that ReadClear can make reading easier and more pleasant. For more information, visit the Read Clear App - Making Reading Real.
As PCA progresses, people may retain an understanding of the purpose of everyday activities but may need significant help as their visual impairment progresses. You may have difficulty with tasks such as:
- cooking or dressing
- reading labels
- handling money
- telling the time
- walking or sitting down
- distinguishing between moving and static objects
- navigating both familiar and unfamiliar environments
- recognizing familiar faces
- eating with cutlery or other tasks requiring hand eye coordination
- finding words to express oneself
- memory and word finding
- difficulty sensing the position of different body parts
As PCA continues to progress, vision can become severely impaired. The world may be viewed in a distorted way. This can lead to needing help with most daily tasks, having difficulty executing spatial commands such as ‘turn around’ or ‘step back’, and requiring supervision during periods of walking, given difficulties in seeing curbs, paths or steps and a tendency to shuffle or stoop.
Some people may have problems with other senses such as:
- increased sensitivity to pain and temperature
- changes in hearing such as becoming more sensitive to certain sounds
- sense of imbalance or instability
- experiencing small jerking movements
In the later stages of PCA, you may lose the ability to respond to your environment, carry on a conversation or control movement. In the advanced stages, symptoms and care needs continue to progress. You may:
- need help with your personal care
- need help to sit up
- be inconsistent with your recollection of events or plans
- have difficulty communicating
- experience changes in sleeping patterns
- have trouble controlling your bladder and bowels
- experience behaviour and personality changes
- experience further loss of sensory functions