Tango

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The Myth of Alzheimer's Disease...

Just discovered a new site run by Peter Whitehouse & Danny George (see link below) where I found a lovely little You Tube film about the work of artist Tom Shannon. The other film alongside it here is not the one I wanted you to see and I don't know how to delete it yet, and also whether or not the link I made to You Tube is in fact stable or not. Anyway just hope it works and I can link you to it.

Bournemouth Developments...

I took no pictures while there unfortunately and regret that there are no visuals helping elaborate and fill in the words. The conference was incredibly full, every lunch and coffee break had activities taking place. Yesterday I heard Alistair Burns the new National Clinical Director of Dementia for the Dept of Health, describe a Randomised Controlled trial on Aromatherapy with people with dementia, which he has recently completed and which took 5 years to do so. Results were that the intervention showed a little improvement.

I made good contacts at the conference and hopefully some work will happen next year at Worcester Uni in the new dementia group set up this year. I was also approached about writing a book on the subject of Dance & Dementia, however it would take over 12 months and financially there is nothing in it, except the fact that my PhD transforms into book form. Have to think about it. Any ideas much appreciated.

More soon...

The Myth of Alzheimer's Disease- Peter Whitehouse

Today at the Dementia Congress I heard Peter Whitehouse a pioneering research scientist, medic and neurologist with over 25 years work in the field say that in relation to Alzheimer's it is a complete myth that it should be called a disease; reason being that the big dementia agencies, the medics and the drug companies have all helped create this myth to keep up the fear and stigma in the general population; in order that politically and generally, there remains a consciousness that this is a 'deadly disease' rather than a condition, (a normal part of the ageing process) meaning that the fear and stigma generated help create the climate to draw in the funds. He is not currently a popular man with the big agencies and pharmaceuticals; however as he also said, they are in deep financial trouble. Together they have spent millions of pounds on 'the magic bullet' or pill, people can take and there will never be such a thing, in part because science ( real science) is being skewed to fit the agreed agenda; in part because the latest thinking is that AD is not one disease alone but a number of them acting in concert. It is very Orwellian of course, however in my opinion it makes a lot of sense ..And of course there is a huge place in the dementia care field for the much more cost-effective and embodied practices ( including dance and movement) that we offer. We have to start finding the people, working together, developing the strategies and enabling opportunities for it to happen on a much larger scale andf far less piecemeal than to date. Here comes the 1st National Conference on Dance and Dementia - hooray, please see below for booking ( click on the image to be taken directly to the site).

5th National Dementia Congress Bournemouth

It's windy and cold here by the sea, however I arrived late tonight for a debate; ' Life-long care for people with dementia is an impossible dream' the proposer was Martin Green, CEO of ECCA (whatever that is) and Barbara Pointon, campaigner and former care of her husband Malcolm. Barbara has written very poignantly in the past about what it was like caring for her husband who had a dementing condition. I was really struck by a number of things she said and showed. The first being a spider diagram full of lines...and I mean many many lines that linked her at the time with the GP: social services: bed support services: Alzheimer's Society: Admiral Nurse: incontinence nurse etc etc. Malcolm and his wife Barbara were at the centre of this web of inter-connecting people and services that was tiring to look at the diagram let alione to have to experience it. Barbara said; 'Just give us the right tools and family-carers will do the rest'. She called for continuity of staff in the caring relationships..she was told that she would have between 2 and 3 staff caring for Malcolm. In the end she had 18 and he just got more and more angry pulling down curtains etc in an embodied response of distress. She spoke about the vital importance of the quality of the staff attending malcolm and how none of them had any dementia care training; that has she said contributed to her becoming a champion of better training and support for care-givers and that they should have access to specialist dementia nursing advice and emotional support. I thought here of the REITMAN CENTRE in Toronto and it's wonderful work. Yes, Joel and team; I am singing your praises over here and beginning the process of writing up a journal article of my Canadian experiences, including details of your wonderful work.

Anyway the debate came out at 157 against the motion and 54 for it. It was overwhelmingly opposed, and yours truly being one of those who opposed it!! Long live the best support that any carer of a person with dementia can possibly receive. That has to be the mantra and it is definitely not an impossible dream.

More tomorrow I hope. That's it for now.

1st National Dance & Dementia Conference 2010

These are exciting times right now especially for the development of the whole dance and dementia field in the UK. This conference is the first of its kind ( see poster below and click on it to be taken to the site for registration details etc) and aims to bring together dancers, dance therapists, healthcare practitioners, medics and others to listen to, and take part in, a wide ranging programme of talks, presentations, workshops and performances. The aim is to boost the profile of dance and dementia and the contribution it can make to improving the care and quality of life of those with the condition and also those who care for them. It is also an exchange forum where many of us can meet for the first time enabling us all to reflect on current practice while also being able to identify new ways forward. TO ALL MY CANADIAN FRIENDS DO CONSIDER COMING YOU WILL HAVE A GREAT EXPERIENCE