This is an article that comes from ABC in Australia and touches on a very important topic – STIGMA and dementia. One of the goals of my work is to promote education on dementia and to break down stigma surrounding dementia. For example,

• dementia is not an old person’s disease – it is not a part of normal aging, it is a disease of the brain and can affect anyone at any age, young people also get dementia
• people with dementia are not immediately incompetent or incapacitated after diagnosis, most dementias develop slowly over years and people in the early stages of dementia can still live independently, contribute to their families and communities, and even maintain employment

To read more about stigma and dementia, please see my previous posts on Stop using stigma to raise money, Stop stigma – think before you speak, Breaking stigma – stop saying they are “suffering,” and Breaking down stigma – research on societal attitudes towards dementia. Continue reading →