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March Musing from Rebecca Crichton: Dementia Friendly
A recent, standing-room-only presentation by Dr. John Zeisel at the Frye Art Museum focused on the many resources related to dementia in our region. Dr. Zeisel, the founder of the I’m Still Here Foundation, shared a hopeful vision of the future of dementia care in our region.
Dr. Zeisel listed fifteen local organizations and groups that provide care and services for people with cognitive loss. The number is impressive for any city. Equally impressive is the level of coordination and mutual support the various entities provide.
This is reassuring information. I know I am not alone with concerns about my cognitive abilities. Many of my friends and colleagues worry about dementia and whether they might be on a road with dementia as the destination.
Most of us can recount stories of the misplaced keys (as well as cars in parking lots), missed appointments, and scrambled dates and times as indicators that set off internal alarms about our changing mental capacities.
In tandem with our fears about the possibility of our own dementia is the discomfort we feel around people dealing with dementia. Although most of us know people who have it, I will venture to guess that frequently we don’t know how to behave and interact with them. Our own fear creates stigma, which in turn creates distance, discomfort, and avoidance.
I am trying to learn more about dementia for both my personal and professional benefit. The more I learn, the more comfortable I am with the people in my life who are directly touched by the disease.
I want to be more compassionate and hopefully supportive in their lives. Destigmatizing dementia is a goal I share with the many organizations and groups that remind us that people with dementia are still here.
My March essay highlights how I think about my own thinking. To the extent that you can be aware of your personal Internal Broadcasting Company, and know which files you open regularly, the more you can understand and recognize your own mental state.
I’m looking forward to my conversation at Town Hall on March 9 with Dr. Jim deMaine. He is a longtime advocate, author, and presenter on end-of-life issues. Our discussion will explore his work and his thoughts as he navigates the challenges of aging.
March brings us longer days, brilliant blooms, and the gifts of spring. Enjoy the light!
Rebecca
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NWCCA’s Collaboration with Town Hall
Finding Dignity, Hope and Healing at the End
Monday, March 9, 7:30 PM, The Mehdi Reading Room, Town Hall Seattle
Join Dr. Jim deMaine, a pulmonary/critical care physician, and Rebecca Crichton, Executive Director of NWCCA, to discuss our choices when seriously ill. Do advance directives really work? How can we advocate for ourselves and our loved ones? Jim draws from his book Facing Death: Finding Dignity, Hope, and Healing at the End, a memoir about helping us plan for a more peaceful, healing death.