Former Ballerina with Alzheimer’s performs Swan Lake
Before we say anything else, please grab a tissue and watch this very powerful video.
Now what we’d like you to do is, look at the title of the video… anything wrong?
For us there is and it’s a biggy!
Let’s change the title to ”Ballerina living with Alzheimer’s Disease, performs Swan Lake”.
For some, there might not be a huge change her, but there is - it’s the word former! The words we say and how we say them, really matter. This lady IS a Ballerina, she’s showing us! She perhaps can’t dance as she once did, but the music touches something deep within, that still allows her to communicate with us, to show us, I am still here.
Think about the words we use, just for a moment. How they can be interpreted, how they make people feel. The Dementia Awareness Week, there is one simple, but powerful thing I would ask you to do…instead of saying “dementia” say “a dementia”. I do this every time I am teaching. Why? Because it helps reinforce the importance that "dementia" is a broader term that describes a collection of symptoms, rather than a single specific disease. It's like saying "a headache" – you're describing a symptom, not a particular illness. Often when I say “living with a dementia” people will respond “oh what type?”. We realise the importance of knowing the type of dementia an individual lives with, so we can provide specific support, so today, change things up, next time say “I support people living with a dementia”. Educate on types, educate of symptoms and it all starts with a simple but powerful letter/word. “a”.
