I love my job. It fulfills me because I can give and receive in equal measure. In general, people assume that the lives of those living with dementia are somehow less than those who don’t. There are innumerable myths about what dementia is and how it diminishes a person.

I vehemently differ from this opinion. I wanted to list down all the things I have learned, relearned and had reinforced as a direct result of working and loving people living with dementia.

1. Slow down: I do everything fast. Eat. Speak. Walk. Read. Organize. BUT…if I have to effective in my work, I have to slow down to accommodate the needs of where people are at. Not just people l/w dementia, but also their caregivers. It stands me in good stead when I am stuck in a TTC disaster or trying to juggle five tasks at once.

The sunset from our office…