Teepa Snow on Dementia/Alzheimer's

I have seen one of Teepa’s presentations on video previously. Because of Susan's links I just watched 4 more and will finish the rest tomorrow. I am amazed at how much better I would have done with Gregory if I had seen these 5-10 years ago (if I would have been ready to listen that is. Sometimes hindsight is easy.)

I am amazed at how to the point Teepa is, how practical, how “right on!” While Dementia/Alzheimer’s is never easy, she shows that it doesn’t have to be as hard as we make it for ourselves as caregivers and loved ones of people with Dementia/Alzheimer’s!

Thanks so much Susan, Susan Macaulay, Amazing Susan for sharing this!

http://myalzheimersstory.com/2015/06/09/10-teepa-snow-videos-on-dementia-basics/#respond

An E-Mail from Amazing Susan

Michael,

I’m about 1 million blog posts behind in commenting on your blog, they’re all in a queue in my inbox… I try to do too many things!

Anyway, sorry about that, I will get them eventually – hopefully it will be in this lifetime.

I just had to write and say that your thank you speech moved me to tears. I started to cry basically in the first paragraph and didn’t stop. I will make the comment on the post itself of course, and I thought I would take a few paragraphs out and create a blog post on my alzheimers story with a link to the full post on your blog of course.

http://mhorvichcares.blogspot.com/2015/05/documentary-thank-you-and-general.html

But before I do that, I wondered if the documentary is available online? Because it sounds amazing, and I would like to either put it in my post or provide a link to it. If it’s not available online, is there a way to make it available online in the very near future? What can we do to make this happen?

 I am in complete awe of you and Gregory and I’m so glad that we have had the chance to connect. This disease is tragic, but there are so many treasures and gems to be found  Including new friendships and growth and deeper self-awareness.

Thank you so much for all you do.  I hereby make you an honorary amazing woman :P -  that’s kind of like being knighted by the Queen :P  or a Queen if you prefer :P

Playfully,

Susan, Susan Macaulay

Writer, editor, coach, blogger, creator

AmazingSusan.com   

MY RESPONSE TO SUSAN: 

Hi. Thank you so so much for your kind, supportive comments. Yes, the documentary experience was yet another “once in a lifetime” of which I have been fortunate to have had a number. And yes there are so many gifts that Alzheimer’s gives if you can be at peace enough to see them. Thanks for the honorary knighting. Can you imagine a Queen knighting a Queen (although I do not behave like one:-)

Yes the documentary will be available publicly and on my blog … but not for a while yet. The team will be entering it into a number of Film Festivals and the festivals all have strict rules about “previously seen” materials. I will discuss this further on a blog when I get the chance. 

You are more than welcome to quote my “Thank You Speech” or any other of my writing with a link for others to read the entire thing on my blog. I will be doing this more rather than printing an entire post so the poster gets “hit credit.”

Finally, just started a new facebook page called ALZHEIMER’s: A Love Story to "document the documentary" and to begin posting some of my blog materials. I also hope to do an e-book like you did!

All for now,

m

Is the Glass Half Full?

Susan McCauly shares some perspective on how language affects how we deal with and see Alzheimer's.

She shares a wonderful look at Alzheimer's which begins to see the good parts of a person that continue as the disease progresses rather than listing the stages of loss and inability. I have found that in my readings, web searches, fellow bloger posts, etc., this change in focus is becoming stronger. What do you think? "Amazing Susan" says: To help us understand dementia, experts have come up with ways of describing different phases of the disease: 1) The Alzheimer’s Scale (3 stages): mild, moderate, late. 2) Four-Stage Model (4 stages): early, middle, late, end-of-life. 3) Global deterioration (7 stages): no impairment, very mild decline,  mild decline, moderate decline, moderately severe decline, severe  decline, and very severe decline. (Keep those sorted one from the other  if you can!) These scales and descriptors focus decline and loss rather than on the richness of the human experience. At best, they set us up to see the glass half empty rather than half full; at worst they foster the belief that people with dementia are on a journey that is nothing more than a long slow, tortuous train through hell – a journey in which they are robbed of their very selves as they disappear into a black hole of oblivion. This overwhelmingly negative perspective is an injustice to people who have dementia, and is problematic in all kinds of other ways. Among them: It goes hand-in-hand with the traditional biomedical model of the disease, which in itself creates a multitude of care issues. It results in people treating people with dementia in demeaning and unhelpful ways. It causes family, friends, and caregivers to suffer more loss, pain and grief than they need to. No wonder we are all so terrified of this “horrible” disease! But it doesn’t have to be like this. I know because I have discovered  treasures amidst the tragedy. One simple way to transform the way we see the disease and the people who have it is to use a positive approach centered on people’s humanity and on what they can do rather than on what they can’t. Go to Susan's site to check out Tepia Snow's look at the gem approach to talking about Alzheimer's Disease.   Click here to go to Susan's site. Opens in a new window.