Is there no hope?

Sometimes, some symptoms of dementia can be managed, but there is not currently any way of curing dementia.  So is there no hope for those with dementia?

There is always hope.  Or so they say.

The first hope is that a cure will come.  There is constant research in progress and so, sooner or later, there may well be a cure.  So there is hope there.  Whether is till come next week, next year, next century - well that's unknown of course.

There is also another hope, one that rests in the value of quality of life over quantity of life.  While dementia may be progressive and lead ultimately only to the one sad end, there is still hope that those suffering from this disease can still lead pleasurable, worthwhile lives.

It is a real hope.

Once upon a time, dementia was a one-way journey into living oblivion.  Memories all gone, people were left to merely exist, to be fed and washed and put to bed without any hope of enjoyment of life.

But it needn't be that way.

Not everyone ends up totally lost in their own bodies.  And even when we think there is very little left, there can be ways to reach them, ways to bring them joy.

While dementia robs us of our memories, it is surprising what memories may still remain - if only we can stimulate

You may have seen some of the following videos before - or they may be new to you.  They are worth watching all the same.

Don't imagine for one moment that the only way to reach people is by music, either.  Touch, taste and especially smell are other ways to engage minds and reach memories thought lost forever. 

Here, at StayingMe, we are comitted to finding ways to rediscover life.