Policy Press
6 My neighbourhood, my future …?
Abstract
I was diagnosed with Mixed Dementia, Alzheimer’s and Vascular, on 31 July 2014. I may not have much of a short-term memory but that’s one date that remains firmly in my ailing brain. At the time I was living happily alone in York and working full time as a non-clinical supervisor in the NHS, teaching Matrons and Sisters how to roster their staff. However, since dementia forced me into retirement I’ve lived alone, still happily, in a small village in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Being alone here during the pandemic could have been a disaster, but instead has become a triumph over loneliness and has shown me the importance of the people in our neighbourhood. Pre COVID-19, I didn’t have time to get to know my village, whereas now, COVID has allowed me the space and time in my life to become and feel connected with those around me.
I moved to my village a year after being diagnosed. The hustle and bustle of York, once adored and embraced by me, was now becoming too loud, too confusing. It was important I found somewhere quieter to call home. My daughter had moved to the village with her partner some time back, so I was used to visiting and this influenced my choice to move here. But what struck me was the friendliness of this neighbourhood. I was a stranger yet people smiled and said hello. I felt comfortable here. So, when my thoughts came to moving, the village seemed the obvious choice. I needed to feel safe, to feel part of a community.
Abstract
I was diagnosed with Mixed Dementia, Alzheimer’s and Vascular, on 31 July 2014. I may not have much of a short-term memory but that’s one date that remains firmly in my ailing brain. At the time I was living happily alone in York and working full time as a non-clinical supervisor in the NHS, teaching Matrons and Sisters how to roster their staff. However, since dementia forced me into retirement I’ve lived alone, still happily, in a small village in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Being alone here during the pandemic could have been a disaster, but instead has become a triumph over loneliness and has shown me the importance of the people in our neighbourhood. Pre COVID-19, I didn’t have time to get to know my village, whereas now, COVID has allowed me the space and time in my life to become and feel connected with those around me.
I moved to my village a year after being diagnosed. The hustle and bustle of York, once adored and embraced by me, was now becoming too loud, too confusing. It was important I found somewhere quieter to call home. My daughter had moved to the village with her partner some time back, so I was used to visiting and this influenced my choice to move here. But what struck me was the friendliness of this neighbourhood. I was a stranger yet people smiled and said hello. I felt comfortable here. So, when my thoughts came to moving, the village seemed the obvious choice. I needed to feel safe, to feel part of a community.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures and tables vii
- Notes on contributors viii
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Introduction: Placing dementia 1
- Understanding the meaning of neighbourhoods for people living with dementia: the value of a relational lens 23
- Moving house with dementia 44
- How do people with dementia manage problematic situations in public spaces? 48
- Making and maintaining neighbourhood connections when living alone with dementia 67
- My neighbourhood, my future …? 90
- Enabling the neighbourhood: a case for rethinking dementia-friendly communities 94
- A conceptual framework of the person–environment interaction in the neighbourhood among persons living with dementia: a focus on out-of-home mobility 113
- We’re known as ‘the girls’ around town: support, isolation and belonging for a lesbian couple living with dementia 135
- Building community capacity for dementia in Canada: new directions in new places 140
- The good, the challenging and the supportive: mapping life with dementia in the community 160
- Growing back into community: changes through life with dementia 186
- Dementia, tourism and leisure: making the visitor economy dementia friendly 191
- Conclusion: Dementia emplaced 208
- Index 218
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures and tables vii
- Notes on contributors viii
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Introduction: Placing dementia 1
- Understanding the meaning of neighbourhoods for people living with dementia: the value of a relational lens 23
- Moving house with dementia 44
- How do people with dementia manage problematic situations in public spaces? 48
- Making and maintaining neighbourhood connections when living alone with dementia 67
- My neighbourhood, my future …? 90
- Enabling the neighbourhood: a case for rethinking dementia-friendly communities 94
- A conceptual framework of the person–environment interaction in the neighbourhood among persons living with dementia: a focus on out-of-home mobility 113
- We’re known as ‘the girls’ around town: support, isolation and belonging for a lesbian couple living with dementia 135
- Building community capacity for dementia in Canada: new directions in new places 140
- The good, the challenging and the supportive: mapping life with dementia in the community 160
- Growing back into community: changes through life with dementia 186
- Dementia, tourism and leisure: making the visitor economy dementia friendly 191
- Conclusion: Dementia emplaced 208
- Index 218
