Today I am attending a fundraising lunch to support the work of The Big Issue in South Australia ,and organisation that in my opinion, helps homeless people become whole again. One of their mottos is “A hand up, not a hand out“, which I love, as so often the organisations who support the homeless simply give out…
Apparently four years ago today I set up this blog, although it doesn’t feel like my 4th anniversary, as I didn’t really start writing and publishing blogs until the 2nd September 2011, many weeks later. But, I guess it is still worth celebrating, as the seed was actually planted on this day four years ago, and blogging…
Many people over the last few weeks in the UK have gone up to my husband and said, things like; we know you as BUB… do you have a real name?! Peter, also my Back Up Brain or BUB, is my husband and one of my heroes, and I do have him up on a…
After being alerted to this poster The Caregiver’s 10 Commandments via the University of Tasmania’s Understanding Dementia MOOC Facebook page, which is helpful, but also hard to do, I found the article 5 Simple ways to help a person with dementia in my draft blog folder, which I have added below. Over a year ago, I developed a list…
Almost daily I read or hear about another Dementia Friends or Dementia Friendly Communities campaign. Groups of people working in the sector, getting excited about what they might be able to achieve, how they might be able to improve the lives of people with dementia and our families and support us better to live well,…
The SBS program I was involved in titled Dancing with Dementia which was filmed in their studio a few months ago now, and has been to air I feel was invaluable as a changing point to the discourse of tragedy that continues in the media. Their goal was to show a more balanced view of…
The topic of sex and dementia is one I have been thinking about writing on for some time, and now seems the right time to post something about it. Many have written and talked about people with dementia and sexuality, including writing articles and books about it, but so far, I have not found very…
The many things that can surprise a person after being diagnosed with dementia are vast, but perhaps the two most interesting and telling (especially of society as a whole) is the proper and FULL inclusion of people with dementia, and being treated as if we are ‘not all there’. Yes, I am diagnosed with dementia, but, I am still all…
The loneliness of my grief is sometimes like my private torment, only visible to my heart and soul… I try desperately to hide my tears, to live inside my ‘denial bubble’, but every now and then the pain escapes. It is then that I realise that my eyes are filled with tears, and the indescribable sadness,…
As we’ve been travelling the last three weeks, I’ve realised how very lucky we are that, 1. That we can afford to travel, 2. My husband could and would take time off work, 3. We have stayed in some wonderful places, 4. We have been able to visit and meet some wonderful friends, and 5.…
The road of advocacy and self advocacy is a really tough one, especially as most often, to have become an advocate, you must have become part of a marginalised group that is being discriminated against, or speaking out on behalf of someone who is being treated badly. This means, of course, you often make quite…
This is blog #3 of mine on the continuing AFR debacle. It seems the AFR does not wish to engage in full and open conversation about their recent lapse in judgement, and obvious serious lack of respect for people with dementia. A public retraction and apology is still required. No less will be unsatisfactory, and many others definitely agree…
Many people who complained about the offensive article “Dementia Troublemakers” published in the Australian Financial Review (AFR) (@FinancialReview) have received a standard reply from the Australian Financial Review i the last 24 hours, of which I am also a recipient. See their response below added as a screen shot from the DAI gmail account, and…
I would like to welcome you to the monthly online Café Le Brain for Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Japan. Check your time zones if you live outside of these countries, as it may still suit you. People living with the symptoms of dementia and their supporters including professionals, are welcome to attend. We use video conferencing technology…
In no way do I actually wish to promote this video released recently by the Alzheimer’s Society in Canada as part of their Dementia Friends Canada program, but, I do have to say something about it. Firstly, it is thrilling they or anyone wishes to work with the Dementia Friends campaign, started in the UK, and…
You must be logged in to post a comment.