Janet
- admin1356
- Oct 2, 2024
- 2 min read
As a volunteer I am reminded that our humanity does not cease when we get sick or incompetent.
As a volunteer of the only 1 day a week, day programme available in Auckland, I get the opportunity to meet and interact with people with early onset dementia. This involvement in many ways has made me feel positive about the human condition.
Firstly, the clients themselves – all of them living their lives as best they can, in the new circumstances they find themselves in. Their memories slipping, they joke about how that enables them to see each day as fresh! Their ability to put language together escaping them, it’s an opportunity for us all to indulge in a little verbal silliness and laughter together.
The 12-ish people with dementia in that room support each other. They’re patient with each other’s challenges. They share stories and experiences with each other. And at the end of the session, they say they’ve had a great time and see you next week.
We all get old, we all get enfeebled and needing support, it’s just that these people are on a different timeline to most of us. And how fortunate for them that they have a community to share this journey with. And even more difficult for most being solitary for the other days of the week. Even harder for those home alone feeling isolated and slipping inexorably into confusion and incompetence.
Then there are the life partners of the clients – heroes all who want the best and try their hardest to support their loved ones. I see how difficult it is for these people trying to balance work commitments, their own health and wellbeing while at the same time caring for someone who is increasingly incapable at home. The day service is a life saver but sadly limited to just 1 day a week and limited to a maximum of 12 people which is not nearly enough.
And lastly, the volunteers and group leaders – for them it’s a brush with the human condition that they may not have an opportunity to encounter elsewhere. To be reminded that health should not be taken for granted. To be reminded that our humanity does not cease when we get sick or incompetent. To learn acceptance and openness in the face of difficulty, just as these people with younger onset dementia demonstrate so aptly.
YOUR DONATION will HELP US HELP OURSELVES.
Getting help needed is a living challenge for the group behind Young Onset Dementia Collective.
If we wait for Government, Ministry of Health or under-funded agencies, it will be too little too late for our people.
For many the situation is dire. Help is needed NOW so we made a collective conscious decision to do everything we can to help ourselves. Spouses, partners, carers of people living with younger onset dementia have real life reasons driving combined determination.
Help us keep minds engaged and spirits lifted for those affected. Plus support carers in their financial, mental and wellbeing journey.
