During Dementia Awareness Week the Alzheimer's Society are running a campaign #DoSomethingNew. The initiative is being run because a diagnosis of dementia doesn't mean stopping doing the things you love or trying something new.
The idea was inspired by Ken, Margaret and Ian, who took steps towards fulfilling a life-long dream or ambition. Ken had been a singer from a young age, and after his diagnosis of dementia in 2011, decided to take his singing to the next level, and in April 2015 he sang at Newcastle United FC for the X Factor!
The Alzheimer's Society are inviting all of us to #DoSomethingNew and share our photos, stories etc with them.
On Monday I fulfilled my #DoSomethingNew pledge. I have been performing with the HMS Heron Royal Navy Volunteer Band for the past 2 years, but I haven't plucked up the courage to march (I was heavily pregnant this time last year so I did have an excuse!) But on Monday evening I set out in my waterproofs with my clarinet and got stuck in.
It was drummed into me to 'always start on the left foot' and off we went! For the first piece I focussed purely on marching, keeping in time and staying in line with my fellow band members, they say that women can multi task, but this was taking it to a whole new level. For the second piece I plucked up my courage to play and march, so what if I lost my place halfway through, or my feet went out of sequence and I dragged behind, the main thing is that I did it! And with a bit (OK, a lot!) more practise I think I will be a marching pro in no time...
If you are in the Plymouth area come and see us take part in the Royal Navy Volunteer Band Festival on Sunday 28th June, and you can see me put my parading prowess into practice!
Wednesday 20 May 2015
Tuesday 19 May 2015
Dementia Friends
Well Dementia Awareness Week has got off to a flying start! It has been very inspirational to follow the Alzheimer's Society's posts, and to see the hive of activity on twitter using the hash tag #DAW2015. I hope that the positive stories and interviews are helping to break down the stigma that sadly surrounds dementia.
Today I want to talk about the fantastic Dementia Friends initiative and to encourage you to sign up as a dementia friend if you haven't done so already.
Background
The Dementia Friends initiative began in 2013, with the aim that by 2015 there would be 1 million people who had received the training, enabling them to help people living with dementia to feel supported and included in their local community.
Dementia Friends Champions receive training and ongoing support to deliver the Dementia Friends sessions in their community.
How can I get involved?
There are lots of ways you can be involved with the Dementia Friends initiative, and it doesn't have to be time consuming.
- Become a Dementia Friend by watching the online video
- Become a Dementia Friend by attending a 1-hour information session in your area
- Volunteer as a Dementia Friends Champion and inspire others to learn a little more about dementia and the ways they can help those living with dementia in their community.
For more information and to become a Dementia Friend visit www.dementiafriends.org.uk
Myself and Frankie Simpkins (Area Manager Musica Wiltshire) are Dementia Champions and would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Monday 18 May 2015
What is Dementia?
As part of Dementia Awareness Week (17th-23rd May 2015) I will be writing a post everyday relating to dementia and how the arts can contribute to living well with dementia.
As the whole point of this week is to raise awareness of dementia, and to reduce the stigma which sadly still surrounds it, I thought I would start with a brief overview of Dementia.
Stats
-There are currently 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK
- There are 40,000 younger people living with dementia in the UK
- Two thirds of people with dementia are women
- The proportion of people with dementia doubles for every five year age gap
- The financial cost of dementia to the UK is £26 billion per annum
- There are 670,000 carers of people living with dementia
- Family carers of people with dementia save the UK £11 billion a year
- Only 44% of people with dementia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland receive a diagnosis
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=341
The word dementia is an umbrella term for a set of diseases, all with similar symptoms, that affect the brain. It is not part of natural ageing. The diseases that come under the heading of dementia cause the nerve cells within the brain to die, causing gaps and tangles in connections, and brain shrinkage (brain atrophy). Dementia is a degenerative condition, with no cure at present.
As the disease progresses, the person may:
- become confused and frequently forget the names of people, places, appointments and recent events
- experience mood wings, feel sad or angry, or scared and frustrated by their increasing memory loss
- become more withdrawn, due to either a loss of confidence or to communication problems
- have difficulty carrying out everyday activities
As the disease progresses, the person may:
- become confused and frequently forget the names of people, places, appointments and recent events
- experience mood wings, feel sad or angry, or scared and frustrated by their increasing memory loss
- become more withdrawn, due to either a loss of confidence or to communication problems
- have difficulty carrying out everyday activities
Dementia affects individuals in different ways, and it is important that we remember the person behind the condition. A person centred approach is very much needed when working with or caring for people living with dementia.
This is a very brief overview, but for more information on dementia visit www.alzheimers.org.uk
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