A few months ago I attended a conference themed The Elephant in The Room, in Terrigal NSW. One of the other key note speakers was Avril Henry, who is a widely acclaimed keynote speaker, consultant, business and career coach, mentor and author, and who is passionate about generational, gender and cultural diversity, developing collaborative leaders and positive…
Yesterday I was invited to give a presentation at the Better Practice Adelaide 2015 conference held at the Hilton Hotel, and most of the time now when I present, I also always represent Dementia Alliance International in some way. The theme of this event was Quality – Through the looking glass: What’s new in 2015. One…
A wintery Wednesday from my window Looks to cold for the beach Or a day out wandering through the hills Seems easier to sit in my office To push ‘my little grey cells’ Just enough to think And to type this poem!
Hello. The blog A Manifesto For Radical Inclusion written by Dr Al Power on ChangingAging has a taste of Richard Taylor in it. The gloves are no longer hanging on the wall of the gym, they are coming off, all around the world. As Al mentioned last week, Richard once sent him an email saying, “Welcome. I’ve been…
There has been a national outcry by most Australians over the booing of Adam Goodes, the current Australian of The Year, and an elite Indigenous Swans AFL football player. I totally agree with it, and find the booing of anyone, at any level, for any reason in sport, or anywhere, is unacceptable. In my opinion,…
I have learned a lot of lessons in my life, with many to learn I am sure, but perhaps none so important as this one from knowing Richard Taylor. Mostly, Richard taught me to live beyond the diagnosis of dementia; stop crying, dismiss the PLOM (Poor Little Old Me) disease I had after the diagnosis, and to…
Rest In Peace Richard Taylor. Below is a letter I had written to him, also part of a tribute I have previously written to him in my book. A number of people with dementia who he has supported in a weekly support group had endeavoured to put a book of tributes together for him, which we had, of…
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…
Well, I am home from the UK, and definitely alive, but not really sure yet if I am awake! It has been a whirlwind six weeks, and I have really missed my almost daily blogging and the regular chats with friends here, but this trip, it has not been mentally possible to maintain my blog as 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,…
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