“I don’t think that my dementia prevented from enjoying the break any the less”

Hello, this is Eileen. I’m sorry I haven’t sent any reports for quite some time. This is due partly to having been away on holiday on the Isle of Mull in Scotland, but I don’t otherwise have any other excuse.

It was a good holiday, generally we spent the morning relaxing and reading. In the afternoons we went for a walk, usually by the side of the loch and in the evenings spent our time relaxing by a log fire. We were very fortunate with the weather, which was sunny but quite cold, and we had one day of  heavy snow, which the following day provided the opportunity for walks in an alpine-like setting.

The loss of my short-term memory is usually more of a problem when we go on a holiday and when I am away from my familiar surroundings. For example when on holiday I often can’t remember where things are kept, which is our room, where the bathroom is and where the shops are.

We went to see the doctor to ask if it was not a good idea to spend time away from my familiar surroundings, which left me feeling disorientated, but her recommendation was that we should go on holiday because the change would provide some mental stimulation, which would have been of benefit. Looking back on the holiday I don’t think that my dementia prevented from enjoying the break any the less. Perhaps I don’t remember it so well, but at the time I enjoyed it.

I’ve been taking part in a number of dementia related events, such as the women with dementia club, the Alzheimer’s service users review panel, the read and reminisce meeting in the city library and the fortnightly dementia healthwatch project. I find it very helpful to hear the experiences of others at these meetings and it’s also good to meet new faces and make new friends. The Alzheimer’s society have asked if they could use what they refer to as “my story” to feature on the next appeal brochure, which I believe is to be published next week, with lots of photographs of me and my family. My story is essentially about living well with dementia and my experience of the past two weeks of my holiday and all the dementia related meetings that I attend, and that I’m doing just that.