Spirituality in Dementia presentation

KenC

Registered User
Mar 24, 2006
913
0
Co Durham
Early this year just after we had moved back home after our bad flood, my wife was contacted by one of our Local Universities, to see if I was prepared to speak about Spirituality in Dementia at a conference. This is a subject, I confess is very confusing and sometimes very distressing.

I had not done a presentation for some time, and after the flood I had lost all interest, but my wife thought it would help bring me back out of the wilderness, as she so kindly put it.

So after a lot of thought, I got on with it, not really understanding what I was writing about, as my ideas, were difficult to put into words.

Then after about two weeks of writing and searching the internet for the right definition, or at least one I could understand with my brain these days I got started.

It took me the best part of three weeks to do it, and then get it edited by "my boss the wife" simply because these days, when writing things like that I miss out many words and in some cases put extra words in, without knowing why I have done it. My spelling has also gone, so even spell checker struggles at times.

I have been told that its because my brain is trying to go faster than I can type, but its still distressing.

The event came and I got into the stage thinking it was going to go one of two ways, either good or disaster.

I went out before the key note speaker at the event and was struck by the silence. Then the key note speaker a High Profile Clergy Man got up and said, sorry I cannot follow something like that. He has said everything I wanted and could have possibly said.

I was to be honest totally shocked at this resonse, and it took time before I realised just waht was going on.
When I originally started writing, I had thought spirituality was all about religion, when in fact it was about our life styles, our wishes, our past, in fact our life story.

Thank goodness I got the information right in my mind, before that event otherwise I woud have been left looking silly.

However I have learnt so much about this topic since that event, and its helped me to help others understand what we require.

Through that little push from my wife I got back on the ladder, and feel much better in myself, although my memory has slipped quite a bit since last year and my concentration these days is very hit and miss

Thank goodness for all of the strong minded ladies, who stand behind us and push when we desperately need it

I have now been asked to return again to cover the same subject, only now as the key note speaker, something I have never done it my life, and in many ways is terrifying.

So I am hoping that I can do justice to all who have dementia and their loving carers.
 

sue38

Registered User
Mar 6, 2007
10,849
0
55
Wigan, Lancs
Hi Ken,

Good to hear from you :). Is it possible for you to share a little more of what you said in your speech?

I'm sorry to hear about the flood - that must have been very upsetting for you and your wife.
 

KenC

Registered User
Mar 24, 2006
913
0
Co Durham
Hi Ken,

Good to hear from you :). Is it possible for you to share a little more of what you said in your speech?

I'm sorry to hear about the flood - that must have been very upsetting for you and your wife.

Hi Sue,

Its about 10 pages long, and far too much for a post, but I am hoping that after tomorrow there will be a link on the internet, that I can copy and post here as I am unsure how to do that.

I know that there will be a link from the copy on my blog onto twitter, so perhaps I can copy that, so you can read it at leisure.

Otherwise I will try to shorten it somehow.

I will try to come back to you on that one.
Ken
 

Izzy

Volunteer Moderator
Aug 31, 2003
73,993
0
72
Dundee
Well done Ken. What a star. I'd also be interested in what you said. x


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Haylett

Registered User
Feb 4, 2011
1,144
0
Fantastic Ken. Congratulations on undertaking such a daunting task and doing it so brilliantly.

(And well done, Mrs. Ken!)
 

Barry

Registered User
Oct 14, 2006
1,898
0
77
Indonesia
Hi Ken it’s good to see you posting on TP again, interesting Subject (Spirituality) must admit I don’t know much about it myself but I did write this poem about such an occasion:

“At one with spirituality”

As I sat in the garden… with confusion abound,
I gazed at the sky and God’s beauty around,
Though thoughts within… mused a path to my demise,
A sudden sense of spirituality made my eyes open wide,

The peace, the tranquility, as clouds slowly drifted by,
A gentle breeze of the air… leaves rustled there surprise,
Song thrush did sing… as swallows swooped to earth,
And willow tree branch caressed the moist mossy turf,

My secluded spot… now my inner sanctum of serenity,
Carries me away to a distant Utopia within radiant sun,
A place of harmony… betwixt reality and fantasy,
Where dementia’s not laid its unyielding hand…

Though confusion doth vex, wherein bewilderment reigns,
I trust in my faith… yet many questions still remain,
As the truest mystery in our life… is who we really are…
For the wonders of creation are more complex than the stars,

Now my body doth yearn towards heavenly sleep…
Where souls doth abide… that once did weep,
Thus when my time comes… let me pass to yonder way,
To follow my spiritual pathway, to God’s fair lea…

Barry ©
 

Helen33

Registered User
Jul 20, 2008
14,697
0
Hello Ken it is good to see you posting and even better to read your update. What a daunting task and how wonderful that you managed it. I hope that having to ponder for quite a while on the subject has helped you personally in that you have made a discovery about yourself. It must have been good for someone to say they couldn't add to what you had shared. Also to be requested to share it again. Really wonderful. I would be very interested to read what you had discovered.

Love
 

KenC

Registered User
Mar 24, 2006
913
0
Co Durham
I will have to find a way of doing a short cut, but at present my brain cannot do that. If anyone has any ideas I will attempt to sort it out when I come home later.

It used to be part of my job as an engineer to do this, but its all sliding away rapidly these days

Many thanks

Ken
 

gringo

Registered User
Feb 1, 2012
1,188
0
UK.
I see that there is no universally accepted definition of 'spirituality'. I would find it helpful if you were to give your definition.
 

KenC

Registered User
Mar 24, 2006
913
0
Co Durham
Hi Nitram

Thank you for that.

I could not work it out at all, but I see that the bottom link now gets us to the front page of the newer and smaller blog, and then at the bottom right of the page you can see the section about the talk in question. I must point out that this blog, is just me trying to find out peoples ideas about, Dementia, religion and the meaning of spirituality.

Dementia and the spiritual needs of the person with Dementia.

Its also on the top link to the main blog, but you really need to go further back on that to see the page.



The larger blog has been going for a few years and covers, problems associated with dementia along with some news stories which I found interesting, so I shared them with others around the world.

I confess that I struggle these days and it is very hard to concentrate on doing these blogs, as my spelling and grammer have all gone out of the window

I hope people understand that these are my idea's and I would never say that we all have the same thoughts, as we are all individuals. But these ideas have made many clergy sit up and think about how they treat us.
 
Last edited:

nitram

Registered User
Apr 6, 2011
30,072
0
Bury
Ken

If you have the full text in any format and are able to attach it to an email and send it to me at the address that I am about to send you in a PM I will make it available for all members on the web.

It will be Friday before I can do it as tomorrow I am travelling from the Orne to Lancashire and my only internet access will be via a very flaky connection on the ferry.
 

nitram

Registered User
Apr 6, 2011
30,072
0
Bury
The email with attachment reached me OK
I've attached a pdf of the document to this post.

A direct link for non forum users is
HTML:
http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=38062&d=1385018468

Just copy and send to anybody interested.

Now on board ferry with a 6 hour crossing ahead to Portsmouth and then drive to Lancashire.
This crossing should be fun, there is to be a practice emergency involving a simulated fire complete with smoke generators and simulated casualties , on arrival at Portsmouth we will be met by emergency services and the casualties will be evacuated.

Got up at 03.45 GMT this morning in order to drain down property and blow pipes clear for the winter, I have a cabin to get some kip though.
 

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Grannie G

Volunteer Moderator
Apr 3, 2006
81,440
0
Kent
Thank you nitram for this.

Dear Ken,

I found your talk moving and inspirational. I`m so pleased nitram thought of a way to enable us to read the transcript.

Thank you. xx
 

Izzy

Volunteer Moderator
Aug 31, 2003
73,993
0
72
Dundee
Wow Ken. That is inspirational and as a carer I found it very thought provoking.

Thanks to Nitram for helping us to access the paper.
 

Helen33

Registered User
Jul 20, 2008
14,697
0
Good morning Ken,,

Thank you so much for sharing your speech with us. Reading it made me realise the amount of effort and time it must have taken taken to accomplish it. I hope it had given you a sense of satisfaction.

I found your speech very interesting and thought provoking.

Love
 

KenC

Registered User
Mar 24, 2006
913
0
Co Durham
I have had a lot of e mails today, from people who were at the event, many of whom were clergy, even though it was for Health Proffesionals.

As one vicar put it, its time for ALL including the church to stand up and be counted, where dementia is concerned, because its all down to allowing us to carry in with the life we have been accoustomed to, what ever that is, and if we have a religion it must be taken on board by all in society.

He also said that getting that from a proffessional person would have been bad enough, but from someone with the illness, made it harder to escape from.

I gather that some local churches are now considering holding an event on dementia, so with luck those with memory problems and dementia will get a voice for once in a church.

So is there hope at the end of the tunnel, especially where raising awareness of dementia is concerned.

I had not done this to get at the Churches alone, but it seems to have hit the right nerve.




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