Dementia
I have never been so much of a writer, and I do have very lousy days when my grammar goes all sloppy ( irks the the grammar enthusiasts, relax we really are not coming out of this alive) That said, even with its sloppiness, it does something amazing to my soul (and state of mind) so writing it is.
My Experience
I would like to talk about dementia and how it affects us.
But, before I get to the nitty-gritty of it there is this quote that I find soothing to my weary soul in its “valley” days;
“ What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognise it as such”Henry Miller.
First and foremost we have to remember that I am not a medical practitioner or and expert in this field. But I work in the healthcare field and have done some research so as to share with others. Watch this live that we did about “Dementia”
In the recent months, my mum has gone missing twice, the last one was for a whole week. It was devastating. Don’t panic, she is safe now. My mum has dementia, same condition that took her mum. So guess who is probably next in line?…
Watching a loved one confused, wretched and unable to articulate what happened to her during the period that she went missing is nothing short of heartbreaking. It makes you look at life in a different way and make you want to improve yourself in all manner of ways.
When I first noticed that my mum was showing signs of mild dementia,I brought it to light. Note that such conditions are not yet understood in our society. The reception wasn’t a surprise, or was it? I heard things like, “Then how comes she never forgets it when she is promised money” Sad, right?
What is Dementia
Dementia is a syndrome associated with an progressive decline of brain functioning.
Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia and like the majority of us, I always got it confused.
Symptoms of Dementia
Dementia symptoms may include problems with:
- Memory loss
- Thinking speed
- Mental sharpness and quickness
- Language, such as using words incorrectly, or trouble speaking
- Understanding
- Judgement
- Mood
- Movement
- Difficulties doing daily activities
There are several types of dementia depending on which part of the brain it affects and different causes (my mother’s is diabetics induced). Remember too that, it affects people differently, with time people forget how to walk, talk and do every day activities altogether.
Coping
- Develop a strong social network/support; Have healthy relationships and join support forums and groups. Engage a coach and/or go for therapy and counselling.
- Increase your awareness; Like they say knowledge is power, and knowledge applied, superpower.
- Schedule regular self-care; We have come a long way from what we thought this meant. Your mental wellbeing is your everything.
Be on the look for signs that you are not coping well e.g poor time management, beginning to be late for everything most of the time, exhaustion, frequent colds and coughs, unusual feeling of demotivation.
Reach out, I will be more than happy to share my own journey with you. Otherwise leave a comment about your own knowledge and experience.
Thank you.
©Nicolle Hanselmann 2021
Source: NHS About Dementia
Life Lessons by Nicolle Hanselmann 
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