Yearning for university Almost from my first day at school Nursing came long instead Long before that became a degree Like an escape And still no university for me And in spite of this Many other things were achieved and accomplished Life now with dementia, and Incredibly, university has become part of my life At least for…
Jessica Kingsley Publishers in the UK sent me a few questions to answer about what is was like when first diagnosed with dementia, how dementia has impacted my life and family, and on living beyond dementia, continuing to study and much more… you can hear my response here. My book “What the hell happened to…
Life Is for living For dreaming And for learning Life Is for crying For healing And for moving on Life Is for remembering Sweet times And for family and friends Life With fading memories Is a roller coaster of loss and grief Life With dementia Can still be fun
I sat and cried for a while… I cried for those people who I miss and still love who have left this world I cried for the babies I lost in utero I cried for my friends who have lost people they loved I cried for having dementia I cried for all the other people with dementia…
Writing a book, speaking out about living with dementia and blogging prevents denial… but it is also very healing. We all have stories, and many of them actually need to be told. The stories that remain hidden, often go on to hurt…
Breathe deeply Take a moment to relax Stop and smell the roses or lavender Take a bath or a swim Look in the mirror and say to yourself I am ok Have lunch with those you love Laugh, live and love More often In between the fast lane Called life in the 21st Century!
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 was brought recently to my attention via social media, either Facebook or Twitter, although I can’t remember which one. I had not heard of the word, or did not remember it, which is not the issue here, but the meaning of the word has been playing with my heart-strings ever since. Initially it brought…
As we sit and watch The one we love in the last stages of dying The hardest thing to say is “It is ok to let go” Let go and move on Find your freedom in the next world I will be here You will be there But you will never be forgotten Take your last breath…
On Day 7 of Dementia Awareness Month this year, I wrote a blog called Dementia and love, and there was a lot of feedback on it. One reader, who is a woman in Nigeria doing amazing things for people with dementia there, made this wonderful suggestion in her comments to the blog yesterday, which I re-shared on Facebook…
A special friend Dr Peter Gordon, whom we had the absolute pleasure to meet with his wife and daughter (his son as away) in Scotland earlier in the year, writes from the heart and soul of his own humanity. I very much appreciate his intellect, his humour, his depth of character, his willingness to stand up for…
For Day 22 of Dementia Awareness Month 2015 #DAM2015, I am re-blogging a post written on Belledelettres’s Blog by a friend in Scotland, who I had been online friends with and had the pleasure to meet in person in Edinburgh whilst over there this year. It is an important piece… Professor Steven Sabat is one of…
Today’s blog is more personal and my rambling thoughts about my perspective as a wife and mother, of what it is like living with dementia, and the impact it has on me in those roles, and on my husband and children. When I was first diagnosed, the thought of not being there to see weddings, grandchildren,…
Fear Diagnosed with dementia Too often brings us intense fear Worry for our future Our losses Then Loss of reason Inability to think clearly Leaving us immobile Or raging In fight or Flight Or somewhere in between Nightmares and worrying Tempting us to give in To give up Don’t let fear cripple you Find a way, any way…
Thank you Mick Carmody for inspiring me today with this wonderful poem, Inability to ACT. After hosting and contributing at the online Tribute to Richard Taylor today, I am too emotionally exhausted to publish anything of my own, and this poem, which I know was a tribute to Richard, says it all for me today. This is…
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