This page is dedicated to the voices of people with dementia, where members share their personal stories of being diagnosed, and then living with dementia. Our members will, in their own unique ways, share with you, the good, the bad, and sometimes, the downright ugly. We are sharing with you from the deepest recesses of our minds and hearts, in the hope that you become not only more aware of dementia, but of the human cost of this condition, but we also want others to know, there is a lot of living to do after the diagnosis, and it is not all doom and gloom.
Our hope is that these stories bring hope to others facing dementia, and that in sharing our stories, we collectively can give each other strength to face the unknown together. It is not a future we predicted, nor necessarily one that we wanted, and certainly, not one that any of us chose. We have discovered, dementia does not discriminate as anyone at any age can be diagnosed, but is not always a negative experience.
Dementia changes lives, of that there is not doubt, but many also feel they have also been given many gifts since being diagnosed with dementia. In September for World Alzheimer’s Month 2018, DAI ran a series of Hello blogs, now listed below.
The #Hello blog series was inspired by the late Dr Richard Taylor, one of our co-founders. He was once asked, “What should I say to a person with dementia?”, and answered by saying, “Try Hello.”
Hello, my name is Eileen Taylor
Hello, my name is Peter Mittler
Hello, my name is Christine Thelker
Hello, my name is Veda Meneghetti
Hello, my name is Tracey Shorthouse
Hello, my name is Tomofumi Tanno
Hello, my name is Nina BÁČKOVÁ
Hello, my name is Kris McElroy
Hello, my name is Roger Marple
Hello, we are the Selwyn Singers
Hello, my name if George Chong K.L.
Hello, my name is Carole Mulliken
Hello, my name is Phyllis Fehr
Hello, my name is Dennis Frost
Hello, my name is Jeff Borghoff
Hello, my name is Myrna Norman
Hello, my name is Alister Robertson
Hello, my name is Jennifer Bute
Hello, my name is Maria Turner
Hello, my name is Carol Fordyce
Hello, my name is David Paulson
Hello, my name is Julie Hayden
Hello, my name is Mike Belleville
Hello, my name is Mdm Hui-Su (Amy)
Hello, my name is Howard Gordon
Mary Beth Wighton: A changing melody
Mick Carmody: People can live well: even people with dementia
Dr Jennifer Bute: Dementia as a gift
Kate Swaffer: Dementia My New World
Maggie Weidmark: Sharing my experience with dementia
Sue Stephen on living with PCA
The late Richard Taylor PhD: Alzheimer’s from the inside out
Richard Taylor PhD: Not acting the way that’s expected
The late Dena Dotson, How would you feel if you encountered this?
