Treating symptoms in the early stages of dementia, as the gateway to supporting disabilities, not managing them in ways that restrict and hinder, and managing emotional changes with counselling and positive engagement, rather than treating the symptoms with drugs, have become paramount to my well being and perceived longevity. If the symptoms of dementia were … Continue reading »
Tagged with stigma …
Wishing Richard Taylor well for his surgery
As I type, Richard is probably under the influence of anaesthetic drugs and the robotic arm at the Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas USA. He will spend 6-10 hours on the operating room table with a six armed robot surgery machine named Da Vinci. As most of you already know he just completed a month of chemotherapy, … Continue reading »
Living outside the stigmas and expectations of others
Recently Richard Taylor wrote to the following message to a person with younger onset dementia living in Queensland who had connected with him via his website; “Thank you for taking the time to write. Have you met Kate Swaffer? She is a kindred spirit, who also lives in Australia, of ours who hears the same … Continue reading »
A few things…
As always, there are still a few things to do when someones life ends, a few loose ends, a few things you’d wished you’d always done, a few things you wished you’d never done, a few people who wished they had seen you more often, a few people who you wish you had seen more … Continue reading »
Dementia, NaNoWriMo and staying engaged
November is the month for National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo and I bravely (stupidly??!!) signed up to give it another go this year. I am way behind the 1600 words per day they suggest you write to keep up, but if I get all my other writing finished by the middle of next week, I’ll … Continue reading »
‘LUCKY’ spelt as ‘HARD WORK’
Appearing as if you are LUCKY virtually always comes through effort and so I usually spell lucky like this: HARD WORK! I heard recently that I have been called lucky because the symptoms of my dementia do not seem to be progressing as quickly as the initial prognosis predicted, or as some others who’ve been diagnosed. This … Continue reading »
Dementia.. the D-word
The D-word is almost like the C or F words used to be, too upsetting to say out loud. The word dementia is simply too confronting or challenging to talk about or face up to for so many people. Not just the friends and family who don’t know how to cope with someone they love telling them they … Continue reading »
Dementia and ‘retrenchment’
There are lists written on this site, and on many sites outlining the challenges of a diagnosis of younger onset dementia. Having to give up paid employment is near the top of the list and I’ve not found much written up about how difficult it is for a person with dementia. It is in effect, a … Continue reading »
Yesterday was World Alzheimer’s Day, and a number of countries and organisations published reports and Press Releases to acknowledge its significance. Dementia stigma to blame was published by DPS News yesterday, as was the Alzheimer’s Disease International World Alzheimer Report 2012: Overcoming the stigma of dementia. Here is the whole report. The brief Summary in … Continue reading »
Dementia = isolation and loneliness
There are many negative things that happen after a diagnosis of dementia, and many that are ongoing challenges and changes, but for me the most difficult ongoing ones to live with are the isolation and loneliness. So many friends slip away after finding out you have dementia, not because they are bad people, but because … Continue reading »
Is Alzheimer’s dementia?
A cyberfriend suggested I write about this; “Alzheimer’s disease has one image, dementia another.” Last week at the launch of a DVD made by Domiciliary Care SA about younger onset dementia, I was asked by a woman if Alzheimer’s was dementia. This was curious to me, as the group in attendance were all people related … Continue reading »
Facing the future with dementia
An online friend has given me some topics to write about, and today I thought I’d try a NaNoWriMo style writing of this one; “How do you feel about what the future holds for you – the future in 1 year, in 2 years and in 5 years? How does it make you feel? What … Continue reading »
Discrimination and dementia
The real price of a diagnosis of dementia is endemic and systemic DISCRIMINATION, caused by IGNORANCE and STIGMA. In every area, people with dementia are being denied the right to contribute. People with dementia are being discriminated against, and their rights are being violated by the very people who claim to be working for us. … Continue reading »
Stigma… ignorance… stigma… ignorance…
The stigma and ignorance continue. Today I sat through another meeting, where one topic on the agenda was about whether to nominate a person with dementia to join a Ministerial committee, to represent this committee I am on. Sadly, there was not one person there who felt it suitable, and in fact one carer suggested perhaps … Continue reading »
Accepting a diagnosis of dementia
One online friend has asked me to explore and write about older people not wanting to accept a diagnosis of dementia, and how they often don’t want to talk about it or involve themselves and their families in this new world. Many older people I know won’t even talk to their doctors about their memory loss … Continue reading »
