Page 25 - Changes and Challenges

Dementia
Changes and Challenges
much like the duck on the water, that appears placid and in control of itself,
but under the water its legs are paddling furiously just to maintain its position.

My Lived Experience- To Date: Observation and
Solutions.

I now will share with you my experience with Dementia, and some of the
coping mechanisms I have discovered. What follows is not only reflects my
experience but that of others all with their own form of Dementia.

This will be sequenced chronologically according to when I became aware or
experienced the challenges. This may reflect on how my Dementia is
progressing, but also keep in mind my sense of time is altered and my memory
is sometimes dispersed.

Facial Recognition.

I’ll begin with this area, even though it’s not a sense it will illustrate some of
the complexities of Dementia. This is what began my journey with Dementia.
Over a period of a couple of months I realized that I had difficulty in
recognising my work colleagues. It occurred to me that I was basing my
recognition on their voice, how they dressed, their location and even on how
they smelt, but not on their faces.

This led me to my GP and then the torturous path to a diagnosis of Dementia.
I encountered several health professionals (and I use that word lightly) that
dismissed my concerns. I now know that about 5% of the normal population
have this problem. It is more correctly referred to as Prosopagnosia or face
blindness.
I am involved in a longitudinal study that in part maps the progression of my
impairments. As part of this I have annual ‘testing’ to measure among other
things my ability to identify peoples emotional state from their faces. When
for example I see a face with a smile on it, I don’t see happiness, I see a person
pretending to be happy, a person trying to deceive me, in effect an actor.

I find this interesting, because I’m the one that is supposed to have the
problem, but I can see more clearly the underlying emotion in these cases.

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