30 Days of Blogging Completed
AKA - I’ll shut up a bit now!
Today is my last day of 30, and I’d be lying if I said I wan’t a bit relieved. As a new business, it’s hard to get a blog going, so following a system is incredibly useful. (I say ‘following a system’…I have taken a very sideways approach to some of the prompts).
Establishing this blog has been cathartic for me. It sometimes feels like me, my stepdad and my mum are trapped in our own little bubble, so it’s good to step outside of that and ‘meet’ other people in similar circumstances (even if I am heartbroken for them that other people are in similar circumstances).
As a naturally private person, sharing my actual, real feelings does not come naturally, and the blog has been useful in easing me into explaining a little of how I feel about my own fear of getting early onset dementia, as well as how I try to keep a positive attitude towards my mum and her dementia. So, I’ll be aiming to keep up with blogging (although, I am very aware that there’s ultimately a pretty sad ending on the way), but it won’t be every day. (I know, sighs of relief all round, right?).
My mum, smiling with her bunny toy - a gift from a friend.
What I will continue to do is
- talk about my mum. People living with dementia have <checks> no visibility. It’s like they just disappear. Considering how incredibly common dementia is, and how it is only going to become moreso with an ageing population, this is something that has to change. Of course, wehen someone cannot give their consent, there is a line to tread on what is shareable (and I have checked with my sister and stepdad that they are happy with me sharing photos of my mum). But, issues of consent aside, I do believe it’s important to see people living with dementia, understand what families are going through, and have open and honest conversations. All a bit much for a gift website, I’ll grant you, but I’ll continue to plod away at it.
- talk about my book for people with advanced dementia - there aren’t that many around aimed at this demographic, would you believe? So, I’d like to create more, and, ultimately, it would be useful to have input from other people for that.
- create products that make me laugh, in a slightly ‘you can’t say that’ way. Because I am passionate about people living with dementia being seen as individuals and, guess what, some people have a slightly wicked sense of humour that it’s for us to remember.
- consider caregivers. I watched my grandad look after my nan and my stepdad look after my mum, and now the carers in my mum’s care home look after her, and it’s exhausting and underappreciated.
- carry on trying to raise a bit of money for Alzheimer’s Society and Doodle Trust. These two charities are close to my heart, and I support them by £1 from each sale of my book going to Alzheimer’s Society, and £1 from each sale of this mug going to Doodle Trust.
I hope you find something useful here.
Much love,
Anna
xx
