Contributed by RAYMOND ANTHONY FERNANDO
The Alzheimer’s Disease Association has selected local singer-songwriter Dick to become the ambassador for dementia. This is a step in the right direction.
It is of course heartening to know that Lee has gone public on his father’s dementia, and as a well known celebrity, I hope that his on-going efforts to raise awareness of dementia – which is likely to strike many of our seniors here in their twilight years, will bear fruit.
Only with experience can you truly understand
People who do not walk the journey in managing loved ones with ageing issues that include Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia will find it difficult to fully understand how daunting these chronic illnesses can be. This is also the case with caregivers who have to look after loved ones trying so hard to cope with relatives suffering from severe mental disorders. Such illnesses require extreme patience on the part of caregivers who carry out this task with true grit.
On the other hand, it is often the family caregivers who put in a lot of energy and effort to care for their loved ones struggling with such psychological illnesses 24/7 who are in the best position to raise their plight. It because these carers see first-hand how their stricken ones suffer so much that they are the best people to take on the role of ambassadors for the causes that are so close to their hearts.
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