This is how we dispel myths about dementia, please read on
I’m going to continue to share our friend, Norm Mac’s writing. He tells it like it is regarding living with a dementia, in his case, Lewy Body Dementia. Norm is doing everything possible to educate folks about dementia, and he is doing a fantastic job! The following, below my writing, is from Norm today, March 6, 2023.
I keep telling you that all dementias aren’t Alzheimer’s, not all are about memory loss. Dementia is caused by the brain being damaged and disintegrating. Specific symptoms arise from which area of the brain is affected.
Comedian and actor, Robin Williams died from Lewy Body Dementia. He did not die from Clinical Depression. Lewy Body caused him to hear voices, have hallucinations, and to do things which in his undamaged mind, he would never have considered.
Actor Bruce Willis has FTD with Aphasia, the variant affecting his speech.
My husband, , had FTD, the variant causing loss of reasoning, judgment, insight and empathy. he did not lose his memory or speech. He lost his understanding of time, numbers, value of money and many others things requiring reasoning and judgment, which is quite a lot. He never lost his love for us or his epic musical abilities. He could still speak the 7+ languages he knew, and the week prior to his death he was still sitting at his piano, playing and singing in his golden voice.
Norm explains so much to us about how it feels to live with Lewy Body Dementia, which, no doubt Robin Williams felt as well. Thank you dear Norm.
DEMENTIA... A SLIP IN TIME
Where am I? Where am I? You hear me cry,
It all looks so different, why oh why?
How did I get here? where is this place?
Who`s sat over there? An unfamiliar face!
This isn't my house, this is not my chair,
Why is life so very unfair?
I want to go home, I don't want to be here,
In strange surroundings, feeding my fear,
Then I am back, as quick as I went,
And all around me is heaven sent,
My beautiful wife sat right there
Here I am again, sat in my chair,
How long was I gone? it's just a slip in time,
I can never be sure what really is mine.
Norrms Mc Namara Diagnosed with dementia
I’m going to continue to share our friend, Norm Mac’s writing. He tells it like it is regarding living with a dementia, in his case, Lewy Body Dementia. Norm is doing everything possible to educate folks about dementia, and he is doing a fantastic job! The following, below my writing, is from Norm today, March 6, 2023.
I keep telling you that all dementias aren’t Alzheimer’s, not all are about memory loss. Dementia is caused by the brain being damaged and disintegrating. Specific symptoms arise from which area of the brain is affected.
Comedian and actor, Robin Williams died from Lewy Body Dementia. He did not die from Clinical Depression. Lewy Body caused him to hear voices, have hallucinations, and to do things which in his undamaged mind, he would never have considered.
Actor Bruce Willis has FTD with Aphasia, the variant affecting his speech.
My husband, , had FTD, the variant causing loss of reasoning, judgment, insight and empathy. he did not lose his memory or speech. He lost his understanding of time, numbers, value of money and many others things requiring reasoning and judgment, which is quite a lot. He never lost his love for us or his epic musical abilities. He could still speak the 7+ languages he knew, and the week prior to his death he was still sitting at his piano, playing and singing in his golden voice.
Norm explains so much to us about how it feels to live with Lewy Body Dementia, which, no doubt Robin Williams felt as well. Thank you dear Norm.
DEMENTIA... A SLIP IN TIME
Where am I? Where am I? You hear me cry,
It all looks so different, why oh why?
How did I get here? where is this place?
Who`s sat over there? An unfamiliar face!
This isn't my house, this is not my chair,
Why is life so very unfair?
I want to go home, I don't want to be here,
In strange surroundings, feeding my fear,
Then I am back, as quick as I went,
And all around me is heaven sent,
My beautiful wife sat right there
Here I am again, sat in my chair,
How long was I gone? it's just a slip in time,
I can never be sure what really is mine.
Norrms Mc Namara Diagnosed with dementia
I'm against broad based labels after encountering so many in the fields of mental health and learning difficulties in my prior incarnation as a clinician. Consequently I'm very much an advocate of a person centred approach supporting individuals on a needs basis (services proclaim this but rarely deliver). My mum doesn't fit into the so called ascribed stereotype of Alzheimer's Dementia, her experience like so many others is a personal one as aforementioned. Raises my hackles as you've probably guessed 
