A sense of loneliness So deep It takes my breath away Reminding me of those departed Lingering inside my heart Lost to the stigma of dementia Tales of despair Whisperings of days gone by Deteriorating abilities Sadness Sitting just inside my soul Yearning for myself Kate Swaffer 2014
The dementia train A lottery ticket Lost inside an MRI machine Results that reach into your soul A pass for the dementia train Slowly taking off Speeding around corners It stops at the station But no way to get off And no one can get on No fat controller here Controlling the ride of my…
May the year you are leaving behind today have been kind to you, and I hope you can remember the highlights more than the sadnesses. Wishing for a fantastic 2015 ahead and I hope all your very best dreams come true. 2014 has been a huge year, with many ups and downs. Life is…
May your Christmas be full of happiness and peace, and hopefully special times with friends and family. If you know of people who are alone or who are not in a position to have a good Christmas, think about how you can make this time better for them… simple things like a hug, a meal,…
For those of you who may not realise I have a recipe blog In the kitchen, and that I add to it most weeks. You might like this weeks recipe, Prawn herb and lime salad. Especially any Aussies, as most of us love to add a ‘prawn to the barbie’ (BBQ) or enjoy a prawn…
Who knows where Santa lives Or even if Santa exists Well, the Santa most people think of Dressed in the red coat With a long white beard Was a marketing idea for Coca Cola Nothing at all to do with Christmas Or religious beliefs… Stung once again By the commercial world.
As my regular readers here know, my aunty was killed in a hit and run accident last Friday night. The coward turned himself in, the next day only because the police let it be known part of his vehicle had been found at the scene. Sadly, it is highly likely if he had stopped she…
This is the photo my girlfriend took before my Graduation at the University of Wollongong yesterday. I was delighted to find out that I not only passed, but was awarded a Distinction in a Master’s of Science in Dementia Care… delighted of course! I shares the day with my first nursing girlfriend Jacinta, and another…
Relationships Based on Obligation Lack dignity Dementia care Provided by people Low in respect For people with dementia Lacks dignity Love Without respect Lacks dignity
My dear aunt was killed last night By a hit and run driver… RIP Aunty Bet. As always, I would have loved to tell you I love you one more time
This week I have thought I would never be able to keep up with blogging, and yes, I know I have cheated a little by adding some jokes and another light hearted one, but in fact, on Tuesday I published a second blog, not remembering I had already hit the publish button once that day.…
Before a diagnosis of dementia, if I went walking, Even if it was ‘wandering’ through a shopping centred for pleasure, It was still referred to as walking Wandering along the beach with the sand between my toes Was still considered walking When I go walking, even if I get lost, I am not a wanderer……
Doll therapy, Montessori, childish Apps on iPads and a whole range of other children’s activities that are encouraged for people with dementia seem to me to miss the point. Using activities that children engage in to ‘amuse’ us – and then call them meaningful activities – is something I tend to think is patronising and insulting.…
One of my special friends Robyn Verrall who used to be a nurse as well as a brilliant medical rep, and now lives on a farm near Keith in South Australia often starts a sentence in a blog or a Facebook post or tweet like this… “It started like this… ” then tells the (mostly)…
The incidence of dementia is actually slowing down in some countries, and increasing in others, and although there is some evidence to support this, today is not about research. Don’t get me wrong, I have a very healthy respect for research and academics, perhaps am even becoming one, but it is now always about research.…
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