Saturday 18 November 2017

Dementia and hobbies

Many people give everything up after a diagnosis of dementia, and simply give up the will to fight on.

 But others keep going with the it hobbies for as long as they can, while some even learn to do other hobbies, or even learn a different language, which is good.

Over the years many of my hobbies have been given up, either because I forgot how to do them, or they became too dangerous to do any more.

As far as art is concerned I don't seem to be able to draw properly anymore, which is upsetting.

When I was an engineer I could go and look at a job of work, then I would sketch it out, and measure it up, knowing that I could work from the sketches etc.  These days it's all gone and trying to sketch things is very hit and miss.

 However, I do still fight to hang on to using my computer and my camera, and although I can't always remember the settings, I am still determined to hang in a long as I can

Other people have other hobbies, which vary quite a lot.

I know someone who now carves walking sticks as a hobby, and that is amazing to hear about.

 I used to love wood carving, but these days, with lack of coordination, I am a liability when it comes to using sharp tools etc, so it's something that was stopped, although I still have my tools. But no doubt these will be sold off before I do any damage to myself

Others go walking with groups, or meet other friends in pubs etc, where they have a good time.

I do feel that it's up to us all to keep fighting for as long as we can, because the thought of giving up is a step too far.

Some people like singing for the brain these days. However, although I was in a church choir for over 10 years, I no longer sing these days, because I cannot get out of my boots as far as my voice is concerned, so I would rather be doing something that I can still enjoy doing.

I no longer swim because of coordination problems, because these days, when I move my arms while swimming, my mouth opens, and I end up swallowing more water than enough, so this was stopped.

However, it's good to hear about groups for people with dementia etc, these days because people really need to remain active and mix with others where ever possible. 

I admit that these days I struggle due to my memory, Osteoarthritis in my knee and hip joints, as well as my breathing problems.

But I still carry on at my own pace and that's important to me, as well as my family 

Photography keeps my brain active and allows me to take photographs of landscapes and wildlife, and to me that's very important.

When I am out taking photographs, people always stop and speak, so I am never alone. It's amazing how many times a photographer has come up and spoken to me, and perhaps told me where to get photographs of different things. 

Yes, I can have bad days when I don't remember the camera settings, but it's not the end of the world.,

These days I stick to automatic settings most of the time, because I struggle to remember the manual settings, and while it's upsetting to lose that part of the hobby, I do feel that it's not the end of the world. 

The fact that I enjoy going out with my camera, and enjoy myself is all that matters. 

I think everyone should be encouraged to remain active and mix with others while they can still do it.

.





















Many people give everything up after a diagnosis of dementia, and simply give up the will to fight on.

 But others keep going with the it hobbies for as long as they can, while some even learn to do other hobbies, or even  learn a different language, which is good.

Over the years many of my hobbys have been given up, either because I forgot how to do them, or they became too dangerous to do any more.

As far as art is concerned I don't seem to be able to draw properly anymore, which is upsetting.

When I was an engineer I could go and look at a job of work, then I would sketch it out, and measure it up, knowing that I could work from the sketches etc.  These days it's all gone and trying to sketch things is very hit and miss.

However I do still fight to hang on to using my computer and my camera, and although I can't always remember the settings, I am still determined to hang in a long as I can

Other people have other hobbies, which vary quite a lot.

I know someone who now carves walking sticks as a hobby, and that is amazing to hear about.

I used to love wood carving, but these days, with lack of coordination, I am a liability when it comes to using sharp tools etc, so it's something that was stopped, although I still have my tools. But no doubt these will be sold off before  I do any damage to myself

Others go walking with groups, or meet other friends in pubs etc, where they have a good time.

I do feel that it's up to us all to keep fighting for as long as we can, because the thought of giving up is a step too far.

Some people like singing for the brain these days. However although I was in a church choir for over 10 years, I no longer sing these days, because I cannot get out of my boots as far as my voice is concerned, so I would rather doing something that I can still enjoy doing.

I no longer swim because of coordination problems, because these days, when I move my arms while swimming, my mouth opens and I end up swallowing more water than enough, so this was stopped.

However it's good to hear about groups for people with dementia etc, these days because people really need to remain active and mix with others where ever possible. 

I admit that these days I struggle due to my memory,  Osteoarthritis in my  knee and hip joints, as well as my breathing problems.

But I still carry on at my own pace and that's important to me, as well as my family 

Photography keeps my brain active and allows me to take photographs of landscapes and wildlife, and to me that's very important.

When I am out taking photographs, people always stop and speak, so I am never alone. It's amazing how many times a photographer has come up and spoken to me, and perhaps told me where to get photographs of different things. 

Yes I can have bad days when I don't remember the camera settings, but it's not the end of the world.,

These days I stick to automatic settings most of the time, because I struggle to remember the manual settings, and while it's upsetting to lose that part of the hobby, I do feel that it's not the end of the world. 

The fact that I enjoy going out with my camera, and enjoy myself is all that matters. 

I think everyone should be encouraged to remain active and mix with others while they can still do it.
.


No comments:

Post a Comment

I always say that we may have this illness, but we are all so different.

This is my own daily problems, but I would gladly share anyone elses, if they send them in,

End of the blog

After giving it a lot of thought over the last few months, I have decided to finally stop writing this blog now This is for a few reasons, b...