I am re-blogging the blog I published yesterday for Dementia Alliance International, called Dementia in the media.It began with this:
“As the editor of an international advocacy and support group, of by and for people with dementia, I read or am referred to many articles in the media about dementia. Most of them require a comment from people living with dementia, in order to either re-claim our human rights, to request the same respect offered to everyone else in the community, or to complain about either the misconceptions and myths the articles portray, due to the ignorance of those without dementia, or the biases and prejudices of a few.
The media feels like a an ugly place to be these days, as we are regularly being referred to as sufferers, victims, demented, not all there, fading away, or in this disgraceful instance, we have dementia as a form of punishment for our sins. Read this article, by a radical and obviously extremely prejudiced woman named Suzanne Atanus, a Republican candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in Illinois, who claims autism and dementia are God’s punishment for abortion and LGBTI rights; GOP candidate claims autism and dementia are God’s punishment. It is outrageous!
Reblogged this on Doctor Dementia and the Dementia Adventure and commented:
The power of words – choose your meaning wisely!
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Very interesting, Kate, thanks! As a researcher, I am aware of the power of the words that I use when writing articles and when presenting. I think that using more appropriate (sensitive) language can help to reduce the stigma of dementia.
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Obviously I agree… language is a large part of why the stigma continues IMHO
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What a long and impressive post you’ve written ……. I don’t know how you don’t it Kate …… you’re amazing!!
( I couldn’t even read it ….. I had to give up after a short while as it was too much …. and you WROTE it!! )
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Thanks my friend.. it did take me weeks, and feedback from a respected friend tells me is is too verbose and needs ‘refining’ but that is a lot harder than it sounds, so I suspect it will simply stay as it is!
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