Creating Meaningful Connections

There are all sorts of connections which mean different things to different people. This week I have heard lots of  ways in which meaningful connections are supporting the dementia community. This made me reflect on what people with experience of dementia should be sharing to enable others to make meaningful connections with their loved one diagnosed with dementia.

I was told how a group of people diagnosed with dementia all connected via ZOOM to support their friend by listening together to the airing of a radio interview she had given.

I have been told how families are introducing new activities to stop their loved ones with dementia from getting upset with the Alzheimer’s Society advert when it comes on the TV during their favourite show.

I spoke to a young lady about her joy in seeing connections being made across generations and nationalities at a celebration for her doctorate in dementia.

I spoke to a daughter whose dedication to creating meaningful connections with her mother, who is finding the move to a care home for her personal safety very difficult, inspiring.

Indeed, it was her wish that her mother had been diagnosed earlier, so they would have had the opportunity to create more meaningful connections through dementia which inspired me to write this blog.

So, what do I feel makes a meaningful connection between people? For me it’s two people who are willing to do the following for one another.

·      Not make assumptions

·      Take time to find out about one another, including those difficult topics

·      Acknowledge each other’s frustrations and fears

·      Empower each other to grasp opportunities

·      Enable each other to identify solutions

·      Recognise we learn from our mistakes

·      Accept we will grow and change through life

·      Allow each other to live their best lives

If I ask myself would I change any of these to make a meaningful connection with somebody I have just met who is living with dementia, then my answer would be no.

However, for people who knew the person before their diagnosis, my advice from supporting my family and enabling the dementia community to go on holiday is a bit different.

·      Still see the person you love and not their diagnosis of dementia

·      Have those uncomfortable conversations to allow growth and change together

·      Understand you will both get frustrated and scared of what the future holds

·      Encourage each other to live your best lives

·     Don’t wrap one other in cotton wool

·      Learn from your mistakes and identify solutions rather than focus on problems

·      Acknowledge you will change and understand what’s important to one another

I would be really interested in other people’s perspectives on how we create meaningful connections with one another, but in particular a person living with dementia.