I am now 2 years and 7 months into my diagnosis of LBD. There are several things that I feel have been instrumental in my doing well. We all know there is no cure for dementia. The brain is dying. Some of the things I share below were done at the time of diagnosis. Fifteen months after my diagnosis I accelerated the implementation of plans of living with dementia. For me, that was a wise decision. Below are my 10 commandments for living with LBD well. 1. Faith – My faith is my foundation. It is what sustains me every moment of every day. Philippians 4:19 is one of my favorite verses of scripture. I know that I am not walking this journey alone. God will supply all of my needs. About a year ago, I needed to have another MRI. Even though they would be using an open MRI, I tend to be claustrophobic in them also. During the MRI, I focused on verses of scripture that I had learned beginning as a child. Even with pounding nose in the MRI, I was able to complete it without agitation. 2. Family – My family is my earthly rock. They are with and taking care of me even in my darkest moments. We rely on each other as we go through our journey. 3. Acceptance – Ten minutes after being given my diagnosis, I told my wife “it is what it is and everything will be OK’. Months later, I had to emotionally deal with my comments at the time of diagnosis. There is either acceptance or denial. With acceptance comes an element of peace that gave me a passion to move on and live my life to my fullest capability. 4. Early Diagnosis – This is so crucial. It gave us time to get our affairs in order. I was able to develop strategies for living with LBD. I made a game plan. I have been able to do many things I would not have been able to do with a late diagnosis. 5. Nutrition – I have read that a Mediterranean diet is good for people with dementia. I am a very picky eater and I was not willing to make this change. However, I did make changes that enabled me to lose weight and become healthier. 6. Exercise – This has a positive effect on both blood pressure and blood sugars.an increase sense of well-being and other things. For me, my stretching exercises help with the pain in my back and shoulder. 7. Purpose – Fourteen months after my diagnosis, I found my new purpose in life. This occurred after an extended time in prayer in the wee hours of the morning. I accepted that I can no longer do some of the things I once could do and I realized that God was not through with me. It was during this time that I found my passion for dementia awareness and helping remove the stigma associated with dementia. This new purpose proved to be a catalyst for better days with LBD. It gave me the same purpose that I had while practicing pharmacy….helping others. I love helping others to better understand LBD and to share the compensatory measures that I develop in my own life. Being asked to oversee the Forget Me Not – Lewy Body Dementia page on Facebook added fuel to my fire. While continuing to oversee this page, I have started my personal page to journal my life with LBD….Lewy Body Dementia Living Beyond Diagnosis. 8. Socialization – All of us need friends. Dementia Mentors was born in June 2013. I quickly became involved in the memory cafes and becoming a mentor to others with LBD. The café provides a time with other living with dementia to virtually get together and share our joys and sorrows. Most of all, we have fun. We develop relationships that will last the rest of our life. 9. Brain Maintenance – I love playing Lumosity games. I acknowledge that it will not change my diagnosis or my disease. There is no cure for dementia. The brain is dying. These games stimulate me to maintain what I have. They motivate me to consistently do these on a daily basis. 10. Continue Learning – I have always thrived on learning new information, developing new ideas and implementing them into my life. At Dementia Mentors, we are now learning sign language with our family/care partners. We are preparing for the possibility of losing some language skills. We know that this can help decrease stress for both the person with dementia and the care partner. ©2015 Robert Bowles
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 18:59:37 +0000
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