3 of the characteristics of dementia friendly
communities:
1. Broad awareness and recognition of the signs of
dementia and how to communicate with people with dementia. (covered in the blog
already).
2. People with dementia can go about their daily
activities, have a voice and make decisions, and contribute to
community life for as long as possible with understanding, respect and
support from the care partners and other community members.
ADLs (activities of daily living): The things we
normally do in daily living including any daily activity we perform for
self-care such as feeding ourselves, bathing, dressing, grooming, work,
homemaking, and leisure. The ability or inability to perform ADLs can be used
as a very practical measure of ability/disability in many disorders. Remember,
I HAVE dementia. I am 58 years old, and manage 2 Facebook groups, a blog,
attend online classes, manage a LinkedIn group, and work to promote the
Dementia/Aging Friendly Mission. I can still dress myself, shower, clean my own
place, garden and take care of animals. I cannot drive a vehicle anymore. I
live in an assisted living facility because I need additional care. The staff
handles my medications for meal and meals are prepared by the facility staff. I
have limitations. I have friends in further stages of dementia who do need assistance
with showering, grooming and other ADLs. I also have friends with dementia who
still live at home, take care of themselves, prepare their own meals and can
still drive. When I was first diagnosed, I felt it was appropriate to plan
ahead. My eldest sister is my medical and financial power of attorney. Getting
that done as soon as the person is diagnosed is critical. In later stages, it
becomes more difficult to make appropriate decisions. I was alert enough to be
able to understand the legal documents I was signing. We'll discuss making decisions
and contributing to community life next. But the take away here is: People with
dementia CAN still function with some help from our community.
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