Firstly, as we all face the current healthcare crisis, I acknowledge the challenging nature of these times and hope you are all safe and well. I suggest we phone our family and friends, and if that’s difficult, then consider writing a letter or sending a card. I love receiving letters and cards… I’m staying off…
CPRD / Daily Blog / Dementia / disAbility Rights / Discrimination / Human Rights / Living beyond dementia™ / love / Prescribed Disengagement ® / Stigma
Thanks to Ita Buttrose, AO, OBE, an Australian journalist, businesswoman, television personality and author, for inviting me to be interviewed on The Studio. Ita was the Australian Of The Year in 2013., and she is a true media Icon, an inspiration for all women of all ages, and a woman who I feel lucky enough…
Dementia / disAbility Rights / Discrimination / Human Rights / Living beyond dementia™ / Prescribed Disengagement ® / Stigma
It was a privilege to be interviewed on ABC Breakfast by Paul Kelly and Ali More, on 10 January 2017 in Melbourne. Almost better than that, was a family friend Jo Sullivan, a sports journalist who works there, who surprised me by escorting me to the studio (I had forgotten he worked there!!)! This is the interview:…
Daily Blog / Dementia / Poetry
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,…
This is a slightly revised and updated list of tips from the one I published here last week with 17 tips. The day after that I also wrote one called My dementia Trumpet call, explaining a little why I’d put together a list in the first place. Of course, there was some angst from a…
This blog started 9 years ago, and so I decided to review and add here, one post per year from August, to see what, if anything has changed, and also how my writing and thinking has evolved. My aim is to provide an authentic voice, to be a true advocate, and not to be persuaded…
You are invited register for the August 2020 DAI “Meeting Of The Minds” Webinar”, What People Living with Dementia Teach Us About Our Shared Humanity presented by Professor Emeritus Steven Sabat. Wednesday, August 26, 2020 (USA/CA/UK/EU) Thursday, August 27, 2020 (AU/NZ/ASIA) Please note: this is one event, set in a number of different time zones. Register here… About the…
A troubled past in the multimillion-dollar nursing home empire of Epping Gardens “The company that owns the coronavirus-plagued Epping Gardens aged care home in Melbourne also runs another home in Sydney which scored zero out of eight in a quality assessment last year.” Read the full article here… Sarah Holland said it for me. Shocking.
First published on my Living Beyond Dementia™️ website June 30, 2018. Anyone who follows this site knows I have been a believer in Bredesen’s Protocol, although I do have some healthy scepticism as well! In saying that, I believe if we don’t view dementia as a chronic disease, which brings with it acquired cognitive disabilities,…
I will only feel like I’ve achieved my advocacy goals when we are all FREE. Free: – from stigma for having dementia – from discrimination due to dementia – from confinement in nursing homes – from segregation in secure dementia units – from chemical restraint – from physical restraint – from Prescribed Disengagement®️ – from…
I’ve been around mean people and they’re not pleasant to be around, not do I want to be like them. Thankfully, or hopefully, I have learned to move away from the truly unkind people who have consistently bullied, abused, harmed or betrayed me… and I will continue to question most things!
Many who have followed me here for a while will know I have adapted my lifestyle and focused on brain health as tools to help live more positively with dementia. Due to some personal stress and grief, I’ve been rather unfocussed! Hence, I really need to focus on brain health again! There is actually a…
An Australian organisation called Beyond Blue which is focused on supporting mental health said in a recent article it: “Recognises and understands the feelings of anxiety, distress and concern (BPSC-19) many people may be experiencing in relation to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and offers some advice on how to look after your wellbeing.” Beyond Blue is…
DAY/DATE(S): Wednesday, July 29, 2020 (USA/CA/UK/EU) Thursday, July 30, 2020 (AU/NZ/JP/SGP/TWN) Please note: this is one event, set in a number of different time zones. Register here… About the Webinar: People with all forms of dementia can experience changes to their walking and balance. There are many factors that can contribute to these issues that can be…
It feels important to (re) acknowledge the challenging nature of these times and I do sincerely hope you are all safe and well. I also want to thank those who have reached out to me at this time of deep grief, here, on social media and by phoning me or calling in. Words do not…
I am more than my ‘lived experience’ of dementia. Seriously. And I am much more than just a ‘Dementia Advocate’. True. Many years ago, I started advocating for people with dementia who are invited speakers to be listed on the program by more then their disease. Back then, not even the persons name was added.…
In 2016, I was interviewed by Jessica Kingsley Publishers JKP), soon after the release of my book, What the hell happened to my brain?: Living Beyond Dementia. This is my response to one of the questions: Q: What would be your best piece of advice for others who are living with dementia? A: My advice…
When my father in law was needing more support than we could get for him to keep him in his own home, we felt we had no choice but to suggest he move into a nursing home. His first response was: “I’m much too young for a nursing home.” He was well over 70 years…
This wonderful memoir, written by my friend and DAI colleague, reinforces why it’s not ok to tell people with dementia to only go home to die, or that life ends with a diagnosis of dementia. As an activist (advocate?) for more 12 years, this book also reminds me how tragic it is that most advocacy…
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…
