If you have met one person living with dementia, you have only met one person living with dementia. No two people’s experience of neuro-cognitive impairment is the same. We are all individuals with unique social backgrounds, personalities, belief systems and physiologies that impact our being in the world. As eco-bio-psycho-socio-spiritual beings, we are so much more than just a “syndrome” or a “disease”.
The more we change the disease discourse, the more people living with different abilities will have agency. The more we focus on the domains of well-being the more people will be empowered to live full lives – identity, connectedness, autonomy, joy, security, growth and meaning are the attributes that define a life worth living. (The Eden Alternative South Africa). We need new definitions and a new vocabulary in order to engage in a new discourse. Let’s start today!