I feel a sense of trepidation, re-entering the blog world after what seems a very long time to me, but is actually only a month. It has been wonderful to be free of the compulsion to both write and read but it’s also very difficult to avoid the guilt; after all, blogging is a reciprocal activity.
Some of my blog friends are also Facebook friends so, to the latter, I apologise for any future repetition but I have been trying to write 500-word column-type articles about Dementia. The reason for this is that I’ve begun volunteering for various organisations that work hard to ensure the ongoing improvement of Dementia care in Western Australia.
The fact that these organisations have welcomed my input so warmly has motivated me to write, network, and speak much more vociferously, about Dementia care, and the opportunities are opening up! This is very exciting for me as I have been a fairly silent, but passionate, advocate for many years. There is a strange, yet wonderful, serendipity in the fact that I was completing my PhD about Alzheimer’s Disease and storytelling during my newlywed years. I had no idea then, of course, that Anthony would one day succumb to PDD (Parkinson’s Disease Dementia).
One of the most delightful things that has happened over this last month is that Ming, our 22-year-old son, also wants to share our story from his perspective. And I don’t think our story would have the same oomph without his input. Ming has, many times, saved me from despair, and vice versa; Anthony and I have the most incredible son with a capacity for empathy that beats the hell out of mine!
Anyway, this post is a rather clumsy re-launch of my blog. I am not going to try to catch up with others’ blogs for the time being, but will certainly keep in touch one way or another. I really just want to focus on Dementia for the time being.
jmgoyder 