3Days of Crowdfunding to go for dementia care training programme - The starting point is language
Phew, I didn't realise how difficult it would be to raise money this way, after many attempts of applying for funding through governmental schemes I thought I would appeal to the people that matter. I have had to compete with Pudsey during this appeal which has been a challenge and he has been around quite some time now. But funding for anything child related or cancer related seems to yield great results, why is dementia such a difficult one? We are all aware of our ageing population that we talk about in an abstract kind of way as if it doesnt really relate to ourselves!!! and how the risk of being diagnosed with dementia rises with age, and here I do apologise to those who have dementia who are younger as you are truly a marginalised group of people that need specialist support and care, DUETcare's principles will still apply but we must be aware of the age and generation to ensure that we approach people within the meaningful context of their individual lives.
If we don't individually know one person with dementia personally, yet, then that time is just around the corner. Soon you will know someone, may be a friend, mother, father, grandparent and we really need to know how to continue to communicate properly and maintain the relationship with that person whom we love. I am really passionate about making this change to how we view and relate to people with dementia (and I don't like writing in this way as if
they and
people with dementia are a group of people tied by this label as these principles are across the board and apply to all). Listening to an old friend recently whose wife is having "cognitive difficulties" reinforced to me the importance of language and how we use certain words. For instance, one example of how DUETcare is different from many other dementia awareness training programmes is that many of those courses run a session called: Understanding difficult behaviours and how to manage them!! Difficult behaviours!! manage them!!! With DUETcare we look at understanding behaviour, explaining why a person who has dementia may behave in a certain way and if we know that the person may have difficulty in understanding what is being said to them, or has difficulty with their vision and their visual perception then we may understand how frightened and confused that person may feel. Surely then we need to know how to approach them in a caring, feeling, sensitive way, just as we would like to be approached. With the events over the last week throughout the world, in Lebanon and France and in Africa we need to spread love, not retaliation or further hatred, love is what makes our world a magical place and DUETcare's principles are all about love, connection and positive energy.
3 days left, please pledge so that I can set up this training programme for the people around us, as you will be contributing to a movement of care and you never know when
you might need it!
Thanks for reading
Jane x
