The Body, Mind, & Spirit Festival in Marblehead, MA this past Saturday was a huge success. We had about 40 people visit with us at the Marymac Missions table. I gave a 10-minute talk and a 40-minute workshop on the theme: “Take Care of Yourself: Seven Sustainable Skills for the Long-Term Care Journey.” Our table featured a Seven Sustainable Skills digital presentation – people practiced the Seven Sustainable Skills Dance in front of our table! Visitors to the table enjoyed brain food treats including dark chocolate squares and almond snack packs. Many people were interested in our Alzheimer’s/Dementia informational kiosk providing information on current estimated numbers of people living with dementia and unpaid caregivers (local, national and global), key findings from the Alzheimer’s Disease International Report on Early Diagnosis, and a top-10 Brain Foods list. Many people also helped themselves to literature provided by the Alzheimer’s Association MA/NH Education office.
A couple concerning social themes (well known among dementia-care community members) surfaced at this local community event:
Early Dementia Detection & Diagnosis – System Barriers
A woman who attended my talk shared with me afterwards that she is experiencing memory loss and she is asking her family to keep a journal of when she is forgetting things. She shared that she has tried to get cognitive testing but that her insurance company won’t pay for it because she doesn’t have a family history of dementia.
I encourage people experiencing memory loss to share your concerns with your primary care physician. If you experience barriers to receiving cognitive testing consider speaking with your local Alzheimer’s Association office about this or contact your local or state representative’s office.
Dementia Devastates some Marriages
Two women at the event shared with us at separate times during the event that caring for their beloved family member with dementia caused the break-up of their marriage.
I encourage couples who are experiencing the stress of dementia care on their relationship to consider couples counseling. This was very helpful for me and Karl as we navigated the stresses of dementia care during our engagement.
Moving forward with a listening heart,
vision, inquiry, and action,
~ Mary