From Myriam, living with dementia, and a community DRAFT

UW MEDICINE | PATIENT EDUCATION

| My Strengths ||| How can I use m y talents and skills to m ake a difference?

From My riam , living w ith dem entia, and a com m unity a d v oca t e: "It is cru cial ? ve ry, ve ry crucial ? to get out of the

D R A F T closet, and become a warrior, o r at le as t s ay, `I'm s till h e re .'"

Photo by Alzheimer's Association

From Daphne, care partn er, and m em ber of Southeast Seattle dem entia-friendly program s com m ittee: "I lo ve co m in g to ge th e r to try and m ake things happen in our n eighbo rho o d. An d to actually have those th in gs h appe n ? it is jus t fantastic. It is m y honor to serve."

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Liv ing w ith M em ory Loss | Mem ory an d Brain Welln ess Cen ter | Box 3598 60 325 9th Ave., 3rd Floor West Clin ic., Seattle, WA 98 10 4 | 20 6.520 .50 0 0

We all want to feel th at our lives m atter. An d we all have som ethin g to contribute. Mem ory loss does n ot chan ge that. Du rin g you r life, you have gained much wisdom and bu ilt m any stren gths. You can use you r talents and gifts to help others and to give yourself an on going sense of purpose. In this chapter, we will review the kin ds of stren gths you m ay n otice in yourself. We will also explore ways you can m ake a differen ce. This includes comm unity service, advocacy, and building dem entia-frien dly com m un ities ? places that are welcom ing and inclusive of people with m em ory loss.

K ey Po ints in This Cha p ter

D R A F T ? You have valuable strengths and gifts. ? You can advocate for y ourself and help others understand m ore about m em ory loss.

? You can m ake a difference by building dem entia-friendly com m unities.

Dr. Tom Grabowski, Director and Neurologist, UW Medicine Memory and Brain Wellness Center

8: Vo ice s

What Strengths Are Maintained, What Stren gth s Are Gain ed?

By Dr. Tom Grabow ski, Director and Neurologist, UW Medicin e Mem ory and Brain W ellness Cen ter

A diagn osis of m em ory loss brin gs ch an ge in to you r life. Bu t, it can also be a tim e of finding n ew strength s within yourself.

Most people who receive a diagnosis of m ild cogn itive im pairm en t (MCI) need to m ake only a few changes in their daily life. Man y people with MCI are fully independent. Som e can keep workin g at their job. Even if your test results show signs of Alzheim er disease or other conditions that dam age brain cells, you m ay n ot h ave m any sym ptom s.

If you m ove from h aving MCI to dem en tia, m an y parts of you r brain and your m em ory will still work well. These stren gth s can help you m ake u p for problem s you m ay have with m em ory loss.

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Liv ing w ith M em ory Loss | Mem ory an d Brain Welln ess Cen ter | Box 3598 60 325 9th Ave., 3rd Floor West Clin ic., Seattle, WA 98 10 4 | 20 6.520 .50 0 0

Som e com m on strengths you m ay n otice in yourself include:

? Doing or learnin g thin gs by habit

The parts of the brain th at involve "muscle m em ory" ? th e m em ory of "how to do som ething" ? often work well even when there is m em ory loss. For exam ple, you will likely rem em ber h ow to do physical things you've done throughout your life, like ridin g a bike, playing a m usical instrum ent, or u sin g a paintbrush . You can also train yourself to do som ething n ew by doin g it over and over, the sam e way each tim e.

? Finding new ways to com m unicate

D R A F T Memory loss can make it hard to find the right word. But, we share th ou gh ts and feelings in m any nonverbal ways ? through body language, tone of voice, and gestures. You m ay find yourself becom ing better at using these nonverbal ways to com mu n icate.

? Using your senses of vision, hearing, and touch

The parts of the brain that help you see, h ear, an d feel th in gs often keep working well. You can use these to enjoy nature, pet an anim al, h old a friend's h and, or listen to m usic.

? Moving your body with balance, agility, and skill

The parts of the brain th at help you m ove aroun d often also keep working well. You can use these abilities to walk around th e neighborhood, dance with a loved on e, or play with your grandchildren. But, som e of the diseases that cause m em ory loss (like Lewy body dem entia) m ay affect m ovem en t.

? Being creative

Your ability to see, h ear, feel, or m ove you r body can help you keep doing creative things like playing an instrum ent, sin gin g, pain tin g, or dan cing. Som e changes in the brain allow you to be m ore free to express yourself, and less concerned about what others think. They can also h elp you see the world a little differen tly. Even if you've never been a creative person, you m ay find that you com e up with som e new ideas and new ways to express yourself.

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Liv ing w ith M em ory Loss | Mem ory an d Brain Welln ess Cen ter | Box 3598 60 325 9th Ave., 3rd Floor West Clin ic., Seattle, WA 98 10 4 | 20 6.520 .50 0 0

From Elisabeth

? Responding to others' em otions

Lindley , Nurse Practitioner, Mem ory and Brain W ellness Cen ter:

Even if you have a hard tim e understanding what som eone says, you m ay still be able to tell h ow they are feeling. Their ton e of voice or the expression on their face can say a lot. The ability to con n ect heart to h eart can overcom e any challen ges with m em ory.

"I've s e e n a m azin g

strengths em erge in

A diagn osis of m em ory loss is an opportun ity to realize th at you r

people who have

valu e is not based on your ability to think or rem em ber. You can gain

m em ory loss. Som e

a lot by focu sing on your ability to enjoy life in th e m om en t, your

people with

con n ection s with fam ily or friends, and the wisdom you've gain ed in

dem entia have a

your life. Th ese thin gs do n ot depend on wh eth er or n ot you h ave

higher awareness

good short-term m em ory.

D R A F T ofthe emotions of

those around them , and can respond in very caring and

Livin g with m em ory loss or dem entia can bring challen ges. Bu t, it is still possible to live well and to build new stren gth s goin g forward.

What can help m e know m y strengths and

thoughtful ways. Th at e m o tio n al

how to use them ?

insight can be very

Lo o k W ith in

powerful and hum bling."

You m ay kn ow m any of your strength s an d gifts. But if you are not quite sure, try th inkin g about what h as given you a sense of success in

the past. You can also ask friends or fam ily m em bers what gifts th ey

see in you.

Your health care providers can also help you think about your gifts. Som e of you r test results m ay show areas of stren gth .

To find ways to use your strength s, ask yourself what you care deeply about. Are you passionate about the environmen t? Do you want to help your grandchildren grow up strong and healthy? Once you know what you care about, consider what you could do to express th at deep ca r in g.

Lo o k Ou ts ide

To get started, you could choose a way to give back that you have found m eaningful in th e past. If it feels challen gin g to do exactly wh at you did before, change h ow you did it, or brin g a frien d with you for support.

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Liv ing w ith M em ory Loss | Mem ory an d Brain Welln ess Cen ter | Box 3598 60 325 9th Ave., 3rd Floor West Clin ic., Seattle, WA 98 10 4 | 20 6.520 .50 0 0

You m ight also want to help an organization you already know ? such as you r congregation, a club, or a sen ior cen ter. You cou ld also see if there are tasks you can help with around the house or in the neighborhood. You can be of service in your fam ily or com m un ity, and find a way to m ake a difference th at feels good to you. Worksheet 7: Giving Back I am good at: ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________

D R A F T Ifeelstronglyabout: ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ On e way I can use this talent or this passion in m y fam ily or m y community is to: ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________

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Liv ing w ith M em ory Loss | Mem ory an d Brain Welln ess Cen ter | Box 3598 60 325 9th Ave., 3rd Floor West Clin ic., Seattle, WA 98 10 4 | 20 6.520 .50 0 0

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