When I was 14 years of age, it became acutely clear to me that “if it was to be, it was up to me”. What happened that day in 1971 taught me categorically that to survive, I would have to become more resilient, and completely self sufficient. It was a powerful experience that determined without…
For more than a decade, I have regularly stated in writing or verbally that I believe people living in residential care facilities with locked doors, or in secure dementia units, are locked in jail, and that the only other people who are also routinely locked in jail are convicted criminals. Secure dementia units also equate…
The rights of persons with dementia most often continue to be ignored, and denied. In this series of webinars, I hope this is the beginning of change, at least in one area of post diagnostic support, namely, rehabilitation. My blog today is of my presentation at this series of webinars, which were hosted by Lee-Fay…
I’ve been reading about Frida Kahlo since the quote below was highlighted on Facebook recently, and I’m not so sure it is such good advice. Why? Because it’s expecting others (a husband, in Frida’s case) to be mind readers. Frida Kahlo told her husband, “I’m not asking you to kiss me, nor apologize to me…
Inspired by reading the daily post from BrainPickings The Science of How Alive You Really Are: Alan Turing, Trees, and the Wonder of Life, I have just ordered a book titled, Natural Wonders, although it is currently out of stock. Amazon say it is “a collection of literature attempts to compile many of the classic…
In an article What to Do if You Suspect a Senior Is Being Financially Abused or Exploited, by Carolyn Rosenblatt. The journalist start by saying: Some have called elder abuse “the crime of the century.” This crime can be difficult to detect and investigate, but one of the few ways to stop an elder from…
Today is the final day of Dementia Awareness Month 2020, and it has been a marathon of sorts posting daily blogs, although it has been helpful having hundreds in my draft folder. It now takes me a long time to read, think things through, and even longer after than to write coherently. So, as I…
I’ve written many time about BPSD or ‘challenging behaviours’ as well as what I have termed BPSC-19, but the comparison may not be obvious to everyone. Hence, for day 27 of Dementia Awareness Month in 2020, I decided to list the ‘symptons’ of each here. If we check out the two lists we could be…
An article published in April 2019 Language paradigms when behaviour changes with dementia: #BanBPSD, rather ironically helps explain to me why we need to ban the contruct known as the Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD), and not just change the name. I’m doubtful that was the intention of the authors… Over the last…
You may not believe it, or see it, but people with dementia are still being Prescribed Disengagement®, and only supported to die, rather than to live positively. You may not believe it, but if you have a stroke, you will recieve rehabilitation, whereas if you are diagnosed with dementia, you won’t. You may not believe…
There are more than 50 million people living with dementia and a new diagnosis somewhere in the world every 3.2 seconds (WHO). I am one of them. Since my own diagnosis 12 years ago, I went from the depths of despair and hopelessness after being diagnosed, primarily caused by the Prescribed Disengagement®, to becoming a…
On July 1, 2012, I published a blog titled Dr Martin Luther King Jr asked ‘Is it right?” which I have added below, with a few edits or comments made in pink. It is interesting to me to read it again, and for a change, I still agree with most things I wrote back then.…
Once again, I have committed to post a daily blog in September, my feeble attempt at a contribution to Dementia Awareness Month, even though I am under no illusions of the value of doing so. Todays is about not giving up. Those of you who have read my blogs this month will know I have…
We are well over half way through Dementia Awareness Month, and I’m tired, but continuing with my daily blog series, in an effort to create new thinking, and discussion. Some of the topics I’ve chosen are difficult to write about, like this one,. They may even cause offence to others, including causing dissent amongst some…
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