On 7th October, myself and some of my fellow Bibby colleagues, will be heading to Cuba for a 90km trekking challenge to raise money for our chosen charities. My Charity is Contented Dementia Trust.
http://www.contenteddementiatrust.org/about-us/contented-dementia-trust/
Most of you will have heard of The Alzheimer’s Society, but this is a lesser known charity, based in Burford, Oxon, who offer practical help for suffers of dementia and their carers. Their mission statement is;
To ensure that the person with dementia, and their carer, can lead as close an approximation to the life they would have wished to live without dementia
To ensure that the impact of the specific memory change experienced by people with dementia is clearly understood and taken into account in the design and planning of dementia services.
I have chosen this charity as it close to my heart, (my mother-in-law used them for help and advice for her mother). My own grandmother is also a dementia sufferer. I also feel that this is a wide reaching charity which could help a vast number of people, with adequate funding. They can help you know what to say/do when a family member or close friend affected with memory loss issues.
My Mother-in-law says: ‘I was not able to follow all of the ideas and suggestions I heard about. However the basic principles of finding positive attributes and stories became fundamental to my way of relating to my mother. I am absolutely sure that the Contented Dementia method and ways to respond that built her wellbeing were vital in helping to maintain her cheerfulness until very close to her death. ‘
The trek itself is 90km, from Havana to Trinidad, over the course of 5 days. Each day we will be trekking between 14-22km, through the Escambray Mountains.
I’m not sure what I have let myself in for but your support by way of donation (and happy thoughts) will be gladly received!