The act of one person with dementia has become the act of many around the world, now causing such a united ripple effect for change there should be no going back. Of course, there will always be the case of two steps forward, and one backwards occasionally, but as there are now so many people without dementia … Continue reading »
Love
Saturday poem
The only way is up A room full of hearts opened wide with hope Holding hands supporting each other Feeling less alone Sharing struggles and stepping stones Wondering if fading capacities will matter Finding new ways What we can’t to alone we can to together The road ahead a new one in Australia See you at … Continue reading »
Advocacy in Action
The final day of our conference has opened doors and galvanised change. To commence the proceedings today, a gentleman called Eric from Townsville, living with a diagnosis of dementia was added to the program at short notice and asked to tell his story. Eric’s story clearly showed us the human cost of this hideous disease. … Continue reading »
The voices of people with dementia
Attending the Alzheimer’s Australia 15th national conference this week has had its up and downs, like life in general, of course! The two days preceding the conference were very busy in meetings, something I take the time and energy to do to help ensure the voice of people with dementia were being heard. Yet there is … Continue reading »
Deep brain stimulation
Deep brain stimulation: a fix when the drugs don’t work posted in The Conversation, 14 May 2013. Read this article in full. It discusses the recent advances using Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in selective brain regions for conditions like Parkinson’s disease, memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease to inescapable cravings in drug addiction, and binge eating.
Souvenaid and Alzheimer’s disease
I’m in Hobart attending meetings prior to the Alzheimer’s Australia 15th National Conference, and last night the dinner was half sponsored by Souvenaid® Australia. Someone referred me to this product earlier this year, and because I don’t have AD but another type of dementia, I had not followed it up. It was referred to at the Alzheimer’s … Continue reading »
Dementia and aluminium
There have been a number of emails flying around for some time regarding the risk of aluminium and dementia. Here is the latest on the topic. In terms of aluminium and dementia risk, very high levels of aluminium in the brain are toxic and can cause cognitive impairment, but the evidence is now fairly conclusively … Continue reading »
Silence
Silence shadows me, like a soft cloud of hope. It transports me through my wildest dreams, takes me to places unheard of, new destinations; transports me along exciting roads, with wild aspirations. The golden rays of ideas blossoming inside my brain, at the centre of my heart, the core of my being. List upon list upon list of things to do, … Continue reading »
Saturday poem
Music Wafting along corridors Into the recesses of our mind Awakening the soul Memories stirred Thoughts of yesterdays And long lost loves Visions rekindled Childhoods and playgrounds Tucked inside school yards Teachers and yard duty Old boyfriends and love letters Tattooed with red lipstick kisses Whispering to heart heartstrings Rekindling moments lost in time Healing all wounds
Resisting change
Sometimes, making changes to our thinking or behaviour makes us different to our family or friends, which for many is a strong deterrant not to. Being different, not taking those party drugs or drinking that beer or wine, when all of our friends are, can be challenging. The impact of serious chronic or terminal illness … Continue reading »
ADI 2013 Taipei – Dementia and the impact of not driving
I promised someone I would post the speeches I gave in Taipei… here is the presentation on driving. Glenn Rees, the CEO of Alzheimer’s Australia disagrees with me, and probably many others will disagree with me, but interestingly, the people with dementia in the audience who listened to my presentation, all agreed with me. Dementia and the … Continue reading »
Social media, text-speak, dementia… a few thoughts!
In the 7th May email newsletter from the Australian Institute of Management South Australia (AIM); “Just how important it is to use correct grammar is highlighted in the May issue of Management Today. According to the magazine, knowing the difference between “you’re” and “your” could be one indicator of future career success. The article reads, … Continue reading »
On right or wrong…
Sometimes we are so caught up in who’s right and who’s wrong that we forget what’s right and wrong… We’ve all been caught up by that mistake, and as I listen more these days and often hear others so who are set on being right about a situation or issue with another person or organisation, it is hurting … Continue reading »
