The POSITIVES of dementia. 🤣👍😊

This is the third in our new series on dementia. This week we’re looking at the positives of dementia and other conditions. I’ve shared some of my funny positive stories in the videos at the bottom of the page.

1. Dementia is a label.

   How about we think and focus on all of the other labels the person living with dementia has; grandfather, grandmother, wife, husband, pilot, engineer, teacher.

   There must be so many…

2. See life as a blessing and celebrate this time together.

3. People living with dementia will forget factual memories.

   So they’ll forget trauma and loss. Perhaps this is a positive thing.

   Living with the fact yours spouse has died or other trauma is something you probably never get over. People living with dementia will forget this and return to the happy state of before the loss.

   It’s best practise not to remind them. Go along with it.

4. It’s possible to live well with dementia (and for a long time).

   With consistency and structure it’s possible to live well. Make as much consistent as possible and set up structures and routines which can be learnt, a person living with dementia may be able to follow routines and gain independence.

5. Emotional memories stay longer.

   Focus on feelings and emotions that are recalled more easily than factual memories.

   Look out for feeling and emotions, smiles, a knowing glint in the eye. They know who you are emotionally even if they can’t remember exactly who you are or your name.

6. People living with dementia can lose their inhibitions, they can be funny, brutally honest and forthright.

   Take it lightly and enjoy and laugh at these moments.

   I remember my visiting my Nanny Days who lived in Manchester, as I walked in the room she said loudly “Who’s this lovely young girl who’s come to see me?”

   I’ve also remembered this, perhaps I wasn’t impressed at the time as a young boy (!) but it’s a hilarious memory.

7. Celebrate the unexpected moments. Celebrate the one time mum does remember your name even she forgot the last 8 times!

8. People living with dementia forget factual memories, that means they’ll forget good news.

   I read on Twitter that a lady went to see her mother who was living with dementia. She told her the good news that she was pregnant. She was delighted, over the moon.

   But then she forgot.

   The next time she went to visit, she was delighted again! It was a great surprise!

   Every time the lady went to visit her mother became a celebration of the pregnancy long after others started to tire of the news!

I’d love to know if you have any other ideas of the positives of dementia. Send us a quick message of any funny stories you have to hello@carechooser.com we’d love to hear them.

Share this with someone who needs to see it and watch out for the next video and post next week. 

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