In March, when I started this blog I went out to the clothes-line to get in some washing (mostly my underwear), and the line was empty. I went inside and thanked my husband for bringing in the washing, but also felt a little confused, as he would not usually put my clothes away, and I…
This week I was asked to provide some information about one of DAI’s founding members, the late Richard Taylor Ph.D. I headed to my files (word and emails) simply titled: Richard Taylor. It was an opportunity to reflect when not feeling hopeless, as it’s often Richard who I turn to when I want to give up…
My second dementia book, Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another dementia, co authored with my friend and colleague Associate Professor Lee-Fay Low was released recently as an e-book through the Apple iBooks Store which you can find here… The following is the Foreword written by Professor Henry Brodarty: “Dementia is never one person’s illness. Its ripples spread wide, enveloping…
It is already mid January 2017, and I’ve not yet posted a blog, so am hoping to rectify the today! I started this ages ago, but have had trouble paddling since December so have not achieved very much at all. Anyway, it may be worth looking back and reflecting as we prepare for yet another year. The years…
Well… coming, but perhaps not soon enough! We were promised this would be ready for Dementia Awareness Month, and yes, I suppose it will we, but not until the 15th at least , so disappointing not to be able to tell you it is available now when we are four days into the month. Even the websites…
I was recently published in the Australian Journal of Dementia Care (AJDC), and my article has been republished the Aged Care Report Card this week as well. You can read the full article, What people with dementia want from residential care homes, where I explain what people with dementia have said they want from residential care, based on my own experience…
How do people, who are living with the symptoms of dementia and which is causing increasing cognitive disabilities, including memory loss, reduced cognitive abilities and changing emotions and behavioural responses, work together cohesively and without getting upset occasionally? One of the things I hear over and over again from this supporting someone with dementia, relates…
My ability to blog every day has been thwarted lately for many reasons, none of which I have the capacity to write about at the moment! However, I want to invite you to attend the next Dementia Alliance International (DAI) “A Meeting of The Minds” Webinar on 23/24 March 2016. Our guest speaker is a supporter of…
What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness Robert Waldinger, TEDx Beacon Street, filmed November 2015 Researchers at Harvard, after studying participants for 75 years, have discovered conclusively that it is not money, or fame or even achievement that create a sense of happiness or physical health. This multi-generational research team found instead that (i) the…
One of the biggest challenges for me is letting go of the abilities I once had. Yes, I know it is easy to say, “but you can still do so many things”, but let me just say how devastating it is having to let go of functioning. I am not talking about physical functioning, as…
This is an interesting thought, all the more so when I think about it for people with dementia and memory loss. Often, the things I do remember now that my changing memory or ability to recall information is challenged, are sometimes those things someone has done that I have felt upset by. Men often tell…
