I've signed up to walk 26 miles on 11th May in order to fundraise for the Alzheimer's Society. Hope to see some of you there!  Further info & fundraising page.

I'm recognising lots of these late stage dementia changes in mum- particularly her disorientation and distress. There have been several incidents recently in her care home where she is flagged as agitated, unhappy, refusing personal care, wandering a lot and looking for a way out.
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All so brutal on our hearts but we had a very happy hour together yesterday when I took her out to the village cafe. We have a ritual there whereby the very lovely and understanding staff give us lunch plus flutes of fizz-hers with elderflower/ mine the real deal! We cheers and laugh and take the mickey out of everything.  These are the moments I treasure. The rest I can do very little about. I can't stop the dementia tide from dragging her down. Hold on to the good stuff. 

Mum and I feature is this month's issue of The Wealden Times- p.96.
Chuffed to bits to see my article in print. 

27th Feb: My aunt, mum's sister, has put me onto a brilliant sounding social project called Songhaven. They are "committed to bringing joy and connection to people living with dementia through the power of professional music in a relaxed environment". They perform for free at live concerts in London and are bookable in care homes and community centres.

I've just got in touch with them to see if I can arrange for one of their professional artists to come to Woodchurch House.. I know mum and many of the other residents would love. 

25th Feb: A lovely friend Laura and I met yesterday eve. We're on the same page on so many things. She's got a brilliant sense of humour and we totally buzz off each other whilst empathising on so many levels. Her mum too has had dementia for many years and Laura has an incredibly brilliant and brave approach to everything she does. She taught me about seeking out the nuggets of joy, or light in the dark as she describes it, when it comes to dealing with the trauma and tragedy of our mum's dementia. We've decided to join forces and produce some insightful and upbeat content that we hope will support and encourage a positive approach to those affected by their loved ones' dementia.
Updates to follow on when the first podcast is ready for download! 

21st Feb: I did my first presentation to residents' family members at Woodchurch House Care Home. There were only a handful of us but it felt powerful and meaningful to deliver the information and for us to share our stories. There's nothing like being out at sea and finding a life raft in the form of  others' who share the same feelings and experiences. A new community can now be built from this and I much look forward to rolling out the Dementia Experience presentations further afield and amplifying our support network.

21st Feb: The wonderful charity 'Music for Dementia' came to film mum and I in her care home. Great success.  Mum and I had a very lovely moment or two as we were filmed during the Dementia Disco, run by an amazing friend Donna. Mum wasn't in the mood at all and sort of walked out of the common room declaring that it was all a load of rubbish. Then she heard the first few bars of her favourite track by Tina Turner... 'Simply the Best'...and she couldn't resist! Around she turned, arms in the air, defiant against dementia! Some fab nuggets of dancing and showing off- it was brilliant!

Mum and I were then interviewed about what music means to us and she did brilliantly, despite being worn out by it all, and expressed some wonderful ideas about the electricity that music generates in us.