Right now I can't decide if Early Onset Dementia is a good thing or a bad thing.
There are days when this disease SUCKS really bad. Days when I can't remember my dogs name while showing pics to coworkers. Days when I fly off the handle on things that I normally wouldn't even respond to. Days when all I want to do is go back to bed and not face the world because things don't seem so clear to me that morning.
Then there are days when I get to tell and/or show others what people with Early Onset Dementia can do. I have always loved speaking and writing. I had started my second book to publish online some time ago and I may go back and work on it again while I still have the thought processes to do it. Getting to tell others verbally and through social media does make me smile too.
Most people who have Dementia/Alzheimers do not tell anyone and the family tries to dismiss it by saying, "oh, it's just Old Timers, you know they are getting on up in age now." And for many people this may simply be the case. BUT for that person who has the disease, they KNEW it was coming and didn't want to tell.
"Well, I don't want to be a burden on anyone or upset anyone. Besides, what will my friends think if they know I'm having problems?'
TRUST ME, Your family/friends already know. They just don't want to approach you about it for fear of upsetting you or destroying a friendship. Plus, THEY DON"T KNOW WHAT TO DO EITHER!
We have advertising that shows nursing and assisted living facilities so that we can put people safely tucked away somewhere without having to try to deal with it yourself. I know this is harsh, but reality is not what people portray on TV. It is what is happening in your own home, work, community and church.
So rather than have people continue to put everyone with Alzheimers/Dementia in 1 bucket with only 1 option, I want to work my hardest to get people to understand that there ARE more options.
In order to keep this to a shorter size, I'm going to cut out here. Tomorrow I'll post a more in depth one to share more about my overall journey.
Thanks as always for reading this and please share with your friends.
