DEEPer Conversations

The theme for this DEEPER Conversation is Letting Go…….There is so much evidence for the benefits of staying active and connected, especially for people with dementia.People often talk about the importance of learning new things, keeping up interests, keep on stretching oneself.But people also talk about knowing their limits and not putting too much pressure on themselves.How do we know when it’s the right time to let go, and how does letting go make us feel?The conversation  also encompasses  the kind of support and the kind of people that help people with dementia to keep on keeping on.Please join us and listen to this fascinating DEEPER conversation

 Dementia is frequently described in terms of loss, loss of memory, loss of skills, of independence, loss of status, loss of ‘self’.It’s a bleak pictureBut is that the only story? Some have described their lives with dementia in rather different terms. Have people with dementia experienced any plusses with having dementia? We’re not talking about ‘living well with dementia” here, we’re talking about real positives that come along with the challenges. Join us and listen in to this fascinating DEEPER conversation.

People with dementia are much more likely to be consulted on a range of issues than they have been in the past.This is a sea-change for a group who were historically marginalised. If the experience of dementia was heard, it was most usually of that of the carer. It's good that that has changed - but questions remain about how the contribution people make is valued, how it's recognised, and how well-supported people are in taking part.In this episode people discuss their mixed experiences of being involved, and what makes them feel valued. 

In this episode people with dementia talk about loneliness. Especially the loneliness that dementia can sometimes bring, to a varying degree and  for a variety of reasons.People talk about their experience of loneliness, and the things which they and others can do to help.There's a focus on the role of family and friends, as well as a strong plea for better mental health support from health and social care professionals.

In this episode people with dementia share their thoughts about the future. Many of those taking part already find themselves in a very different place than they were expecting to be when they first had the diagnosis.They discuss the things that have meaning for them, what they value in their lives at this point, and what they want to hold onto in the years ahead.There's a raw honesty on display here, some deep fears briefly expressed. There's also a lot of hope, and are strongly held belief that while dementia might be life changing, it need not be life ending.

Dementia may be life-changing, but does that mean it needs to be life-ending?There remains a common threat in public perception that a diagnosis of dementia means that life is over. Some people with dementia report being told at the point of diagnosis to go home, get their affairs in order, and prepare for the end of life.Do you think that sounds extreme? Dementia is still occasionally described in the media as 'the living death'. This of course makes people with dementia the 'living dead'.Try maintaining your humanity with that in your head, not to mention in the heads of others.In this podcast people with dementia discuss the extent to which their dementia  is a barrier to their lives. They explore the other things that they can get in the way which often have nothing at all to do with dementia, and everything to do with discrimination either by commission or by omission.They also explore those things which support them in living their lives and which spark joy.It is in no small measure a celebration of solidarity, community and most of all friendship.

Once you've met one person with dementia, you've met one person with dementia.......this might sound like a truism, but it speaks to the very real phenomenon of labelling.Many people with dementia tell us that their 'label' of dementia often seems to overshadow their individuality in the eyes of others. If this happens regularly and often, is it any surprise that people themselves feel like their unique qualities are being lost?Everyone experiences dementia differently, and we should all be conscious of that, and not try and extrapolate our experience of one person onto the next.This podcast takes a deep dive into this issue, and also explores the implications for a collective voice, and the utility of personal experience to others with dementia.