This may sound obvious, but it’s interesting to realise that many of the things that people with dementia do, and which sometimes attract comment, are things that people who don’t have dementia also do.

Two recent examples that I’ve come across online:

Someone noted that their husband cried when moved by music. This is very common. In fact, I would think that most people at one time or another have experienced this themselves. In the case of a person with dementia it could be considered something worthy of celebration that this happens, as people with dementia can become apathetic and fail to respond to most external stimuli.

It’s well known that many people with dementia talk to themselves and/or make noises when, for example, they are trying to concentrate on something. So do many, if not most, other people. Admittedly, people without dementia often talk to themselves silently but it’s not uncommon for them to do this aloud.

  

Ray

My wife has a 'condition'. Many people who have to have labels would say she has dementia. She first attended a memory clinic in 2000, aged 52, and has suffered a marked decline recently. We have been trying to follow the advice of our Guru: 'Live a Good Life'. It's not easy but there doesn't seem to be any better advice around. I found myself saying to a friend that I would find my wife's condition very interesting if I wasn't so involved. I've realised now that I do find it, and the issues it raises, interesting. And that there's nothing wrong with that. It's one of the things that keeps me going. Not that I have any choice. I think more and more that I'm a very rational person (though I'm not claiming that I always behave rationally). I have to try and make sense of things. In my current situation, this is quite a challenge. We all need challenges, they say. I'm hoping this blog might help me, and maybe others, in some way. If I'm wrong, it won't last very long.

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