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…
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
Later today, there is to be a Twitter chat about Language and dementia, so if you want to join us use the hashtag #demphd and you’ll find me tweeting as @KateSwaffer plus you might find @DementiaAlliance and many others getting involved. The debate on language is usually rather robust, and it will be a good lead in…
Christmas is not that far away, and as I was counting the sleeps until a trip we have booked in June next year, I also started to think about it, as well as count down the days… and it is less than 70 days until Christmas 2014! I used to really dislike Christmas, as there…
Loneliness sits silently Too often tinged with sadness Wafting through one’s heart Waiting for no-one in particular Filling one’s soul with curiosity Wondering why It never quite goes away A movie or a book Beautiful music Amongst a throbbing crowd Or all alone There is no difference When loneliness and sadness Sneaks in Nothing takes it away Not quite…
December is the time of year we often take stock of our friendships. For most people, the diary is full of social commitments, racing towards Christmas day when families and special friends are together. Christmas time is either something you love and look forward to or dread, and for many people, it is a time of…
lib·er·a·tion (l b -r sh n). n. 1. The act of liberating or the state of being liberated. 2. The act or process of trying to achieve equal rights and status. My computer and internet access are more important to me than just staying connected. This connectedness helps to make up for the lost friendships, the loss…
Yesterday in a practice session of one of the interviewing techniques of Narrative Therapy, I was interviewed about a recent problem in my life. I elected to discuss the impact of losing my driver’s license, and unearthed a mini maelstrom of feelings I had not given much thought to previously. I’d thought the emotional burden…
Yesterday I talked about how lonely and isolating it can be living with a diagnosis of dementia. One reader and friend overseas emailed me with her support and friendship, and also shared her own recent terminal diagnosis. Another reader made some very pertinent comments, and shared some links about it. One comment, “the loneliness in…
There are many negative things that happen after a diagnosis of dementia, and many that are ongoing challenges and changes, but for me the most difficult ongoing ones to live with are the isolation and loneliness. So many friends slip away after finding out you have dementia, not because they are bad people, but because…
I’ve been following a blog written by a victim of the sex trade, and I find her writings insightful, sad and incredibly brave. In one of her blogs, she talked about Biderman’s Chart of Coercion, and how it could be applied to sex workers. I’ve been reading about it, and thinking about it a lot…
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