{"id":353,"date":"2019-03-07T10:34:48","date_gmt":"2019-03-07T10:34:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brainsparks.com.au\/?p=353"},"modified":"2019-03-07T10:36:34","modified_gmt":"2019-03-07T10:36:34","slug":"auto-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brainsparks.com.au\/auto-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Tips for Reconnection"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the 1st edition the Brain<\/span>\u00a0Sparks<\/span>\u00a0newsletter, put together to connect with you who, over a period of a number of years, have\u00a0been interested in my work, taken a class with me, been in one of my trainings or just been curious about what\u00a0Brain<\/span>\u00a0Sparks<\/span>\u00a0is.
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It\u2019s been a\u00a0challenging few months as I merge my work with Ageless Grace\u00ae and AGE-u-cate\u00ae under the single banner of\u00a0Brain<\/span>\u00a0Sparks<\/span>, sharing these amazing offerings with my own work involving ageing and, in particular, dementia.\u00a0
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Most of my working life as an educator has seen me involved with people with special needs. I remember the little non-verbal 5-year old girl, just one of the children in my class of 40. Then I think about the 18-year old with an eating disorder, who would hide one hand behind the other in front of her face, thinking that we would not see her suck her thumb. The 15-year old boy with epilepsy, put into a class of developmentally delayed teenagers, because they were all \u201cdifferent\u201d. During the many training courses I ran in industry, there would have been several who were illiterate, all trying to hide their inability to read because of the stigma.
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These are some of the people I knew about, could understand their needs and learn to communicate with them. What about the people I\u2019ve met, perhaps on a holiday or in the shops, who lived their life with stigma because of a disease such as dementia, unable to communicate their needs at that moment? They could have been feeling frustrated or confused; angry or in pain. Many of the things that we take for granted are taken from them, ostensibly in their best interests.\u00a0
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Neurological disorders have many life-changing effects on the person, the family and those who care for them. We can learn that different abilities and different needs can be accommodated in our communities, and this is where Brain<\/span>\u00a0Sparks<\/span> comes in. Let\u2019s help those who struggle by learning about their life and how we can help. Let\u2019s learn simple ideas and tools that will support all of us, whether we are a caregiver, a neighbour, a friend, or anyone who wants\u00a0\u00a0to improve the lives of people with dementia.<\/p>\n

When I reach out and take a hand, will you let me?<\/h2>\n

Many of us are willing to lend a hand. Many people take the hand that is offered to them but there are some who don\u2019t want to be a burden on their loved ones or think they don\u2019t need it. My grandmother was fiercely independent until she finally became housebound and bedridden. It cost her a great deal to admit that she was no longer the strong, capable woman she had been but was now frail and vulnerable.
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What can we do to help our loved ones who could do with some help but are not willing to ask for it? Before we do anything else, we want to put ourselves in their shoes. How did that person live his or her life before their capabilities changed? We need to understand their feelings, their helplessness, or the admission that their life is changing in ways they had never imagined.
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But most of all we need to show we care, which can be difficult when the person we try to help is making your approaches unwelcome. But these are times when you maybe put your hurts to one side and appreciate the effort you have gone to, even if your loved one doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Try these tips:<\/h2>\n