Living with dementia movement

After being diagnosed with dementia and told essentially that their lives were over, a number of people who did not feel quite ready for being shelved away brought about a “Living with Dementia” movement.

Many people can live happy, productive lives with dementia for many years before they succumb to disability requiring considerable monitoring and care. Some of these people include journalist Greg O’Brien, diagnosed with early onset-disease Alzheimer’s at 59 and who wrote, On Pluto Inside the Mind of Alzheimer’s, about his experience.

According to Stat News, Kate Swaffer, diagnosed with dementia almost 10 years ago before the age of 50, became very outspoken and active on social media. She published a book on the topic last year and is now the chief executive of the Dementia Alliance International, a group that promotes the lives that people with dementia can still live and the respect they deserve as human beings.

Most people diagnosed with dementia are older than Greg and Kate, and have other maladies that often go along with getting older. Mental problems, including dementia, carry a stigma that physical ones do not. Like other disabilities, they can be managed. People with dementia can often come up with ways of managing on their own for a time and then need the help of others, which is not unlike many physical problems.

Here’s more from Just Care:

• What are the signs of dementia?
• Caring for a loved one with mild dementia
• Helping people with dementia stay independent
• Three things to think about when getting mental health care if you have Medicare
• Four key differences between traditional Medicare and a Medicare Advantage plan