Loss and grief is a normal part of accepting a terminal illness. It is more often associated with death, and this can make the experience of loss in dementia even more difficult, as we don’t accept or validate that what we are going through is a grieving process. Grief after a diagnosis of dementia is…
Dementia represents the end of dreaming, a long and unforgiving one way odyssey into obscurity, clouded in a thick and unforgiving fog. I wrote that some time ago, and in many ways still feel the same. There are many days when I am tempted to detest having dementia and the disabilities it is inflicting on me, and I…
Humanity simply means the qualities or characteristics considered as a whole to be characteristic of human beings; kindness, charity, sympathy or compassion. People with dementia too often find that people without dementia do not offer them humanity; they instead seem to be filled with a lack of humanity, caused by a lack of education and…
It has been another day of dementia getting in my way more than I like and not having the capacity to complete a blog, and in my search for something else, I found this lovely piece within an old email highlighting the naivety and simplicity of the very young. It is the best I can do…
There are many positive things happening globally about dementia. Research is making small headway, governments are at least starting to listen, the carers of people living with dementia have had a strong voice for some time, and now, very occasionally people with dementia are speaking out. Richard Taylor and Christine Bryden are two people I…
Is there anything you would like to know about your parents, partner, close friends or even your kids, that you will regret not having asked if they died suddenly? Is there anything you will regret not having told them, like I love you just the way you are, or I forgive you? Is there a…
but nobody is home! I’ve been trying all morning to think of something to write about. I’ve been searching through my numerous drafts to complete one of them to post today, and still no luck. So I thought I’d try the NaNoWriMo rambling style of writing again and just see what comes out; this is…
Some days I write on my private blog titled What the hell happened to my brain. Today, I am once again frustrated with and perplexed about the state of my office. Hence the reason this blog is titled What the hell happened to my office (again!!!). It is only recently that I filed everything covering my desk,…
From CNN February 12th 2012, Glen Campbell talks about Grammys, living with Alzheimer’s, by Denise Quan “Last June, Glen Campbell stunned fans when he revealed in a press release that he was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. It was not an easy decision to go public with his private struggle, but his family felt it was…
The Professor of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School, Dr David White, says inadequate sleep can lead to increased hunger and weight gain, decreased immune function, increased blood pressure, increased incidence of heart attacks, and poor glucose regulation. The Philips Healthcare 2010 Australian Health and Wellbeing Index reported 48% of the sleep deprived said it…
In the process of finding meaning after the diagnosis of dementia, I have learnt more about patience and faith in myself and others. It has been important to believe that no matter how small the changes seem, from one small seed can grow enormous oak trees. I watched a wonderful short movie many years ago…
The Big Issue (TBI) is one of Australia’s leading social enterprises providing creative solutions to the issue of homelessness. They achieve this by using different mechanisms to connect people with the community, such as The Big Issue Street Magazine Enterprise (a fortnightly independent current affairs magazine sold on the street by authorised vendors), the Community Street Soccer Program (a…
As I practice my juggling to help the symptoms of dementia, I regularly watch this brilliant juggler to give myself something to work towards!
Anyone with the Alzheimer’s type of dementia should read this article written by Stacey Schott, M.D., and Susan D James on July 19, 2012; Case Study: IViG Keeps Alzheimer’s at Bay for a Decade. Thanks again to Bob De Marco for alerting me to it. I especially loved it because he does creative writing too!! “This…
Once again, Bob De Marco has posted a wonderful article on his blog, The Alzheimer’s Reading Room called Expectations of a person with Alzheimer’s, written by Carole B. Larkin. It begins with “One of the definitions of the word expectation is: a standard of conduct or performance expected by or of someone. We all have…
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