Louise from the Information Services team at Central City Library went to hear Dr. Helena Popovic talk with Kate De Goldi about living with dementia. She came away with a signed book and lots to think about. Here's her report:
I really enjoyed this
thought-provoking hour. Dr. Helena is a brain specialist and author of In Search of My Father: dementia is no match for a daughter's determination, while Kate De Goldi's latest book is a novel that
references dementia, The ACB with Honora Lee. Dr. Helena and Kate
are both daughters of dementia sufferers. They compared notes
about their shared experiences of having parents with dementia and a lot of
what they were saying rang true for me, as I also have a mother suffering from
dementia.
Dr. Helena's book is about the
journey she has had with her father. She is the founder and CEO of Choose
Health - Better Living for Busy People, which is a company committed to
reigniting people's zest and vitality for life and work. "Alzheimer's is the most common
form of dementia in the Western world and vascular dementia is the second most
common". This statement by Dr. Helena was very poignant for me as my
ninety year old mother is suffering from a mixture of both of them.
Another interesting statement that
Dr. Helena made about her father is "He doesn't remember that he doesn't
remember". I can absolutely relate to this!
Dr. Helena talked about things that
we can all do to improve our brain function and reduce the risk of dementia. As a doctor involved with the care of her father, she decided to apply the same
principles to him to see if it would make a difference. The three main things that we can
all do are: physical exercise, social stimulation and mental stimulation. To
follow on from this, Dr. Helena said "Getting exercise and social
stimulation halves the chance of getting dementia". A lack of social
stimulation and depression are the biggest risk factors for women, while
strokes are the biggest risk factor for men. Something to think about…
Also, having a handful of walnuts
and a handful of blueberries every day can apparently also help keep dementia
away.
Kate's novel is based in a dementia
care facility. Like Dr. Helena, both her parents have or had dementia, so her
novel draws on the experiences that she and her sisters have had.
I purchased Dr. Helena's book that
she signed for me and I very much look forward to reading it.
-- Louise, Information Services
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