What does it mean to fight? As human beings, fighting perhaps originates in our genetic programming as a protective mechanism in order to stay alive. We would fight to eat. Fight to endure cold climates. Fight to live. It is this same attribute that we carry into our present day, one which we are encouraged to entertain through various external stimuli. We must fight something! Help fight Alzheimer’s disease! But it may be beneficial to examine this fight more closely.

To fight is to engage in friction, whether emotionally, verbally, physically or psychologically. Any human being engaged in fighting will experience the psychological effects thereof; raised blood pressure, adrenal influx, and a number of biological reactions all preparing the individual for fight or flight. Interesting ingredients required for all fights are fear, anger or both. But it is important to note, that while this system of behaviour has been passed down to us from generation to generation through genetics, it is us who continually stimulate and activate these responses in the present day. Thus we are not the victims of a genetic programming dating back thousands of years, but instead are responsible for our own psychological position in each moment of every day.

So what does this have to do with Alzheimer’s? We, as a society, find ourselves in the midst of many different kinds of crisis. One of these being the disease known as Alzheimer’s, which is a form of Dementia. When we fear something, that which we fear has psychological control over us. Therefore it is important not to get trapped into fearing Alzheimer’s disease. It isn’t something we, as a society, need to fight. It is a phenomenon which we, as a society, need to learn from and adapt our lifestyle, psyche and other possible aspects which contribute to the cause of such a phenomenon.

This new outlook offers an opportunity to adapt and offers great benefit to the caregivers of the world. When we fear something, it is because we don’t understand it. When we, as caregivers, who care for people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of Dementia view the residents who live with these diseases from a fearful perspective, it has a negative impact on the way we care for them. They are no longer seen as human beings with a deeper need for love and emotional companionship but as bodily shells of people who once were, people who are already gone. This caring perspective has a detrimental effect on those being cared for.

What if these cognitive degenerating diseases are viewed in a different way, a more uplifting way? If animals can know the difference when they’re loved and not loved, then with confidence I propose that people living with forms of Dementia, no matter their cognitive and physical state are be able to perceive the subtle expression of love. This is a very important message which the Jura Care Village holds close at heart; Those living with forms of Dementia are still alive and still contribute to society as a whole. You see, when we begin to fear these diseases, we loose sight of truth and of hope. People living with Dementia still have a message to bring humanity, here to provide us the opportunity to learn deeper levels of compassion, care and love. Their lives are given so that mankind may discover new ways of healing, caring and loving.

The choice remains ours; will we see this as an epidemic tragedy or a way towards a brighter future?

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