Everyone knows that our lives would just be half as much fun without friends. Some friendships last forever; others just aren’t destined to survive longer than a year. Being confronted with dementia can often take a big toll on friendships, not only for the person with dementia but also for the caregiver. Tommy Whitelaw spoke to us about why friendship is important to him and what he learned while caring for his mum.
“One day you wake up and you’re quite alone.” “We have to encourage conversations.” “Friendships are an incredible thing and we shouldn’t allow dementia to destroy that.” “Every friendship holds a memory and every memory is important.”
Thank you, Tommy, for speaking with us and being our friend! We agree: Friendships are incredibly important! What have your experiences with dementia and friendships been like? Why are friendships important to you? Leave us a comment! We also would like to use this blog post to thank our friends and families who supported us through the whole MindMate journey! We are very grateful.