Saturday 28 December 2013

Accepting that we have dementia

Accepting and not denying that we have dementia is a major step forward, because it allows us to move forward.

We all look so normal, because unlike a broken leg it cannot be seen or recognised in the community, and therefore many people think that there is nothing wrong with us until perhaps we open our mouths, and it all goes wrong on the bad days.

I have got tired of being told that there does not seem anything wrong on my good days, so much so that I asked if I needed a seat band on my brown with the words dementia patient written on it.

I know that some days I doubt that there is anything wrong myself, then later the wheels come off and I know full well that I have the illness.

But I do feel that we need to raise awareness of this illness more than we are doing, and we need to do it ourselves, and not the professionals or the editorial teams, because its us who know what its like living with the illness and not them.

Getting people with dementia to talk about their illness, and their problems is a major step forward, and its one that can do so much to help others who have just been diagnosed, and feel lost and isolated.
They feel so alone, and tend to ask why its them who have the illness.

By stepping forward to discussing our problems we are all helping them to understand that they are certainly not alone, but among friends who also have the illness.

Many people have said in the past, that they will not go to a charity, but want to speak to people who really know what its like to live with the illness, somewhere where they can share problems, and ideas of how to get around everyday problems which we all struggle with at various times of the day, and I tend to agree with this

I have at times spoken to people working for some dementia charities, and its been blatantly obvious that they did not really have a clue about dementia, and in many cases thought that there was only one type of dementia, therefore we are all the same

IF ONLY THEY REALLY KNEW

However by working with these charities, talking to them, and alongside them, we can make a vast difference, and encourage everyone to accept their illness, and then move on to a new way of living while they have the chance. 

But I am hoping that through the next year we can make a real difference and help people come to terms with their illness, and be more outspoken, thereby helping others understand, that we are all in the same boat.

I learnt a few years ago that it is possible to live  life with dementia, if you are diagnosed early enough and get the encouragement to move on, so its up to us all to help others where we can.

Yes we have an illness called dementia, but we are just as normal as many in the public arena.

We just happen to have a brain which is doing is own thing from time to time 


  

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