Dementia Awareness Week – a personal view

This post is dedicated to the memory of my Mum,  who died five years ago this week, on 15^th May 2008.

The Alzheimer’s Society’s promo message

Following closely on the current Mental Health Awareness Week is another aimed at raising awareness of a condition that affects many. Starting tomorrow, 19^th May, it is Dementia Awareness Week, which is the main awareness-raising campaign run by the Alzheimer’s Society. The theme for this year’s campaign is talking, and there will be activities and events across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Society’s hope is that people will join the conversation about dementia this week, as the longer we all live the more of us will be affected by dementia – either ourselves or in a loved one. It is therefore important that we all know more about the condition, so that we can recognise the signs and will know how to cope if a loved one is diagnosed with dementia in any of its forms. In the Society’s words ‘The more we know about dementia, the more prepared we’ll be to face it.’

Mum, Dad, my sister, a cousin (top) and me, c.1960 I think.

As you’ve probably guessed, I have first hand experience of a loved one with dementia. Mum lived an independent life for many years but there came that awful time when we realised that she needed round the clock support, the kind that can only be given in a nursing home. The one we found was a good one and they looked after Mum very well, even when she was shouting that they were trying to murder her when they put her in the hoist to get her out of bed! But in her last year her decline from dementia was noticeable – she still recognised my sister and me when we visited her, and could hold a perfectly sensible conversation for quite a while. But over time she became less able to converse, and the standard symptoms of memory loss began to show. She was taken into hospital as she wasn’t feeding well, and they told us that there was nothing they could really do for her. In effect, her dementia had affected her brain’s working so much that it wasn’t telling her body how to function – it had ‘forgotten’ how to eat and drink, so Mum had to be given this via a drip. Within a week of being discharged back to the nursing home she slipped peacefully away.

I’m telling you this partly, I suspect, because it helps me to set it down – especially this close to the anniversary – but because I know what the Alzheimer’s Society means when it talks about how the illness can affect others, not just the sufferer. It isn’t a preventable disease in the sense that medicine will stop it taking hold, but there are ways to live with it and enjoy a satisfying life. But you need to be ready, and you need to be aware. That’s why I’m supporting Dementia Awareness Week, and hope that you will too.

If you want to find out more, the Alzheimer’s Society’s dedicated page has all that you need to know about the week. It also has links to some very helpful literature for downloading  – I particularly recommend  the booklet Five Things You Should Know About Dementia. They also tell you about the various ways you can get involved, either by organising or taking part in events or by joining the conversation – for those of you on Twitter, use the #TalkDementia hashtag to see what people are saying.

And it wouldn’t be one of my Dates To Note pieces if I didn’t give you the link to the NHS website for more information.

If you know someone you fear may be suffering but has not yet been diagnosed, this would be a good time to follow up on the advice I’ve linked you to. It’s no coincidence that the news has carried the story this week that only about 45% of sufferers are diagnosed and treated appropriately, and that even the Government has decided to do something about it.

Be aware. Get involved. Please.

Mental Health Awareness Week

If I were only to do one of these Dates of Note all year, this would be it. And if I wanted you to only ever read one of my posts, again, this would be it. From 13-19 May it is Mental Health Awareness Week. As you will know if you have read my previous articles, this is a cause which is very close to my heart. I have worked for twenty years – admittedly on the business side – in an NHS Trust which began as a specialist mental health provider, but has since branched out into a much wider range of services, reflecting the fact that treating mental health in isolation from other aspects of health is to provide only a part of the care that we need. In addition to this, I am officially ‘recovering’ from a period of depression which kept me off work for nine months, so I know at first hand what it can feel like to have a mental illness. Look around this site – there are plenty of clues!

The event in the UK is co-ordinated by the Mental Health Foundation and I strongly recommend that you click the link and visit their site. You will find all you could want to know about Mental Health Awareness Week, what it stands for and its history. This year the focus is on the link between physical and mental health, promoting the fact that good physical health can be a really positive force in improving our mental wellbeing, not just a ‘good thing’ that we should all be doing. Healthy living – eating properly and taking part in physical activity, of whatever type – is obviously essential, but not everyone realises the benefits that can be derived for those with mental health problems who can do something about their physical health too. I know – I’ve been there.

When I went back to work last summer I had a course at a gym with a personal trainer. To my surprise I actually enjoyed it and, along with working with a dietician to improve my eating habits, not only did I lose weight and improve my ability to do simple things like walk to the station or the shops, but I felt a huge mental boost in feeling good about myself. I still have ups and downs, as those close to me know, and these can still be quite severe, but my underlying health is much better thanks to my being more active. I’d be the first to admit that I’m still much closer to looking like Mr Blobby than Brad Pitt, but it’s all relative – I’m better than I was, and as a result I feel better mentally too. So please follow the link above, find out more, and get involved.

I know that many of those who follow this blog and/or are friends in life or on Twitter have experience of mental illness, either as a sufferer or from a loved one. I hope all of you can read this and, if you haven’t done it before, try the benefits of physical activity – you’ll be as amazed as I was.  And I hope anyone who has ever mocked, abused or bullied someone with mental health problems reads this, follows the links to learn a few things and then understands why their behaviour is crass, insensitive and contemptible.

If you’d like to know more about mental health in general, the NHS website is, as always, a superb resource, so do take a look. Another good source of information and help is the Stand Up For Mental Health campaign – this is an American site, and a lot of its content is USA-related, but mental illness occurs the world over so there is much good, relevant stuff here. You can also click on their logo at the top of the page, and if you like you can follow them on Twitter.

Finally, in the unlikely event that you want to know more about my own story, I originally published this last November. To save you looking for it, please follow these links:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Thanks for reading. If this helps just one person it’s been well worthwhile. And I hope you can get involved during the next week and stay active afterwards, for the good of both your physical and mental health. At the very least, if you’re on Twitter please add the Twibbon to your avi – although with some of my Twitfriends this may be misinterpreted!

Word a week challenge..''ORANGE'' ......MS

Reblogged from Geminiwords:

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ORANGE FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

'A word in your ear' has a word a week challenge and this week the word is 'Orange'.  I just had to enter as orange is the color for MS (Multiple Sclerosis) - close to my heart.  I am currently trying to raise awareness and raising funds to help beat MS.

Please see below the links for 'A word in your ear' and also the MS Society UK and National, which have lots of information about the cause of MS.

Read more… 78 more words

I don't reblog very often, as I could do so many and how would I choose without offending anyone I'd omitted? But this is a very worthwhile cause to support and is clearly close to Gemini's heart (which is a nice place).

Ob-la-di Ob-la-da, Life Goes On

Daily Prompt: The Glass

Today’s Daily Prompt is the old question “Is the glass half-full or half-empty?” There is of course a third possibility, that it is neither of these:

Blinded by science!

but only a pedant such as I would even consider such a thought! Actually, the science of that is beyond me anyway: given that I am blessed with the typical Virgo’s mind – logical, structured, boring – it’s a wonder I was always so bad at science when I was at school. But I was!

I’m rather hoping that the question is intended to be taken philosophically, rather than scientifically. At least that gives me a chance of answering it! The usual interpretation of the two approaches is:

Glass half-full = optimistic, positive

Glass half-empty = pessimistic, negative.

So what? Who’s to say if either of those is right or wrong? Actually, I think there’s a lot to be said for being a pessimist – that way, your expectations are likely at least to be met, if not exceeded, and that should be a cause for happiness  shouldn’t it? So, following that logic (I told you I was like that) I believe this means that pessimists are generally happy people. Now, what was the question again?

Oh yes, whether the glass is half-full or empty. My answer is: it doesn’t matter. Whatever best suits you and your outlook on life is the right answer for you: no one has the right to judge you and tell you which way to think. Look at Twitter, as I do fairly frequently. How often do you see people there telling you that your attitude, approach or beliefs are wrong if you differ from them? That’s a matter of choice, not a reason to be judged. Unfortunately, those who are like that tend to be lacking in self-awareness and unable to debate sensibly – they just want to bully everyone into agreeing with them. So if they tell you what’s in the glass they must be right? Total crap! You have a right to believe what you want, however ‘wrong’ it may be when judged by societal norms. Other people can then choose to agree or disagree with you, to like or dislike you and your beliefs and attitude. The world isn’t about to be knocked off its axis because you have the temerity to disagree with someone or see things differently from them. Anything extreme is likely to be filtered out by the majority view anyway – whatever that is.

So, believe what you want to. Look at the glass whichever way you prefer. It’s your choice, and it’s what helps define you as a person. The answer to the question

Is the glass half-full or half-empty?

has to be:

YES!!

Deaf Awareness Week

Deaf Awareness Week runs from the 6th to the 12th of May, and aims to bring together a whole range of organisations working to improve the lives of people affected by deafness or impaired hearing. It is organised by the  UK Council On Deafness, whose blog describes the range of activities which are being organised to support the week and to support this year’s theme: Get Involved/Get Aware.

Do please follow the links to find out more and how you can contribute, if you would like to be involved as well as aware.

And for a great source of information and advice the NHS website is, as always, well worth a look.

 

Easy Come, Easy Go

Daily Prompt: Earworm

The question posed in today’s prompt is “What song is stuck in your head (or on permanent rotation in your CD  or MP3 player) these days? Why does it speak to you?”

The song which I have played most since the album it’s on came out last summer is unlikely to be known by many. It is ‘Easy Come, Easy Go’ by the Canadian band The Great Lake Swimmers. Here’s the official video:

“Easy come and easy go

That’s what they say when they’re about to go broke

So try not to choke

And put your arms around me and don’t ever let go”

Have you even heard of them, let alone know their music? They have been together in various incarnations since 2003 and the album this song is on – ‘New Wild Everywhere’ - is their fifth. If you’d like to find out more about them they are at www.greatlakeswimmers.com

Apart from the fact that I love this band’s music, and this song in particular, there are two answers to the question about why it speaks to me. Firstly, the message is a simple one: “everything can be collapsing around you, but I’m here to look after you” – I know it’s more complex than that, but that’s what I take as the underlying message of the song. It’s a message I like and which I think we all want to have from a special someone if life reaches the point of being dismantled around us, as in the video, or should we be going through a difficult time. As you’ll know if you’ve read any of my previous offerings, I am in recovery from depression and started this blog to encourage others that things can and do get better. But I don’t just sail blithely through life, and I still have my black dog days. I had a spell of these last week and didn’t really start feeling better until yesterday morning. This was the first song I played – it is hard not to get carried along by the tune, and the words seemed comforting after a very rough few days. That’s what the song does for me.

The second level is that this band will always be special to me for a very personal reason. Before I was ill I used to love going to live gigs, usually at least once a month. I went through a period of nearly two years when I just didn’t feel like going to one – Great Lake Swimmers at Bush Hall in London, 26th November 2012, was my first after all that time. Being able to overcome my apprehension at going, on a horrible wet Monday night, to be part of a crowd and to enjoy losing myself in the music again is something that will stay with me forever. And just to prove I was there, a very quick snippet of ‘Ballad of a Fisherman’s Wife’ :

I hope you have a special song, piece of music, poem, painting or whatever that says something for you when you need a comforting ‘voice.’ Why not share yours via the comments box, it would be interesting to see what helps, comforts and encourages you.

September When It Comes

Daily Prompt: The Satisfaction of a List

Thinking ahead!

I thought today I’d try something a little different with this blog – I know, I really live on the edge, don’t I! I’ve seen quite a few references to a Daily Prompt in the six months since I started this. So I looked it up and, funnily enough, it does exactly what it says on the tin. I’ve followed the site and now receive a daily email to tell me what the prompt is. As this is my first day, I thought I’d give it a go and see how it turns out. Today’s prompt is ‘The Satisfaction of a List’ and the encouragement we are given says:

“Who doesn’t love a list? So write one! Top five slices of pizza in your town, ten reasons disco will never die, three secrets to happiness – go silly or go deep, just go listy.”

Possibly a silly place to start – lists can be boring, can’t they? Or dangerous: when your partner encourages you to give her a list of women you’d like to make love to, mention only celebrities – saying ‘your sister’ isn’t a good idea. It’s alright though, I’m going to stick to something I know about – so that’s pizza, disco and happiness out then. Or maybe just two of them.

That’s OK then!

As anyone who knows me or has read any of my outpourings will know, I retire in September Not that I’m counting, but it’s in 154 days’ time – see the month countdown in the sidebar! Being a good, organised sort of person – also known as a typical Virgo – I’ve started to think ahead to this and to what may happen to me afterwards. And I’ve made myself a couple of lists: one is of the things I intend to get, such as a car, and the other is of things I intend to do. Looking at this second list I think it tells you a bit about me, so I’m sharing it for your amusement, delectation or insomnia cure. The list goes:

1. Book a holiday – USA, Canada, Barcelona, Venice, Paris, Amsterdam, etc.
2. Learn something – cookery, creative writing, photography.
3. Clear out the flat.
4. Join the Art Fund.
5. Travel in the UK in my new car – only to the nicer places, though, like the Lake District, Scottish Highlands, West Country, Cotswolds, Peak District. But not Stevenage.
6. Take up ‘gardening’ – on my 3m x 1m patio!
7. Put my desk together.
8. Volunteer for something, help others.
9. Keep in touch with friends at work.

Why I need a list!

Something of a mixed bag, really. Everyone travels when they retire, don’t they? I haven’t had a holiday away from home for ages, so I’d like to make up for that. But I’m no good at spending holidays just lazing on beaches, especially as I look like a cross between a beached whale and Mr Blobby In between spells of globe-trotting I’d like to be doing something useful and enjoyable with my time, hence the ‘gardening,’ learning and volunteering activities. Having spent a couple of years pondering the idea of moving back to Kent, where I was born, I’ve decided to stay here in Epping: it’s closer to my daughters and is so convenient for me to go to London for enjoyment, instead of work – galleries, museums and exhibitions here I come! And then there are the chores! I had very little when I moved into my flat five years ago, after the divorce, but seem to have acquired an amazing amount of crap since then. So I really do need to do some drastic tidying up – and as I plan to write and be organised and creative, maybe it’s a good idea to put together the flat-pack desk I bought in my first year here! And lastly, but by no means leastly, I’ve always been awful at keeping in touch with people, so maybe this time I make a proper effort with the good friends I’ve made in the past twenty years.

Is this what I have to look forward to? Shoot me now!

Apart from self-indulgence and my alleged attention-seeking tendencies, why am I telling you this? Simply: because I can! Cast your mind back to the reason I started this blog, i.e. my recovery from depression. A year ago I was still three months away from going back to work and I doubt that I could have concentrated long enough to write even a short piece like this. And I certainly couldn’t have put together the thought processes of planning ahead. So, as always, I’m sharing bits of me in the hope that they can help you: if you are a fellow sufferer or have another long-term illness, the message is ‘Hang in there!’ It got better for me, and I hope it can for you.

As ever, thank you for reading.

A final thought. If you’re wondering where the title of this piece comes from, it’s a Roseanne Cash song – a duet with her Dad on her album Rules Of Travel. It’s a beautiful, reflective song, which fits so well with my thoughts for September. Have a listen: