Christmas Greetings 2010 and Good Wishes for New Year 2011

We send Christmas Greetings 2010 and Good Wishes for New Year 2011 !

Friends come into our thoughts many times throughout the year; know that some have had good times in 2010 but that they have been tough for others now or at some time since we last corresponded. We can equate with that but want you to know that we value people so much and appreciate each year that we can touch base with each other. We eagerly await hearing others’ news.

We continue to enjoy our new surroundings in The Cotswolds and are slowly starting to realise that we are not living in a holiday home which we will leave in a few weeks ! It is so beautiful here accompanied by swans & ducks, our own miniature arboretum and the ever changing flow of the canal outside our front door.

It is also great to be so close to our sons Mark and Craig and their families and we treasure seeing the Grandchildren grow…. Katryna (11), James (9), Ethan (2) and Caitlin (2). The hard work of their Mums Jane & Lorna doesn’t go unnoticed and we often wonder how we once coped with three children under five. Does this say something about Anno Domini clicking in ? It is an honour to be a spectator at school events and we marvel at the expertise they all display so early in life. Myles, Krissy, Lewis (11) & Jeston (3) live too far away for such pleasures but we touch base when we can and enjoy sharing their lives…. thrills & spills, like Myles being made redundant and receiving a job offer before he had formally left his previous employer.

Not only has it been the recession which has hit our family hard for youngest son Craig has suffered two traumatic sessions of major surgery this year. As I write he is progressing slowly and we long for him to be through the third operation and well enough to start enjoying life again.

When Brian, who is doing very well with his medication, was diagnosed with Frontal Temporal Dementia ( Pick’s Disease in USA ) in Feb 2009, little did we know where our ignorance of the condition could lead. Learning from lots of personal research, we identified the local statutory authorities, which in turn led to us working as volunteers in partnership with the NHS, Glos County Council and various charities to :-
· design, write and publish a Living Well ( with dementia) Handbook which won an award…. mind blowing !
· make movies with two different charities and Worcester University… aimed at encouraging folks worried they may have dementia to seek help at the earliest opportunity
· broadcast regularly on several radio stations and feature in newspaper articles with the same motive
· present at conferences to three different Healthcare communities
· collaborate with others to write training sessions on dementia for point-of-sale staff
· speak about real life dementia to Care Home Staff on Leadership Development Courses
· start a mutual-help support group for newly diagnosed working-age dementia sufferers
· help make financial decisions during the five year planning cycle of a local charitable trust
· advise on innovative ways to help sufferers and test new ideas
· act as a surgery link for Carers Gloucestershire, keeping doctors up to date with change
· mentor carers finding life tough…. and buddy-up when needed
· participate in Dancing on Prescription sessions.. even salsa dancing in a carnival ( don’t ask ! )

So, there is not a lot of time to feel sorry for ourselves and, when days are not so good, we just carry on, enjoying meals with friends, knowing that we’d rather be alive together with dementia than dead without it.

In 2010 we squeezed in meaningful trips to both India & South Africa, fearful that such travelling may not be possible in 2011. Each country thrilled us and satisfied our longing to see the Taj Mahal and to walk in the footsteps of Nelson Mandela… which we indeed did by walking his road to freedom and seeing his prison cell. We loved welcoming Catalina from California for an impromptu visit and many friends old & new came to Jac’s Place. We are indeed blessed with the cards we’ve been dealt.