As we begin the New Year, our webinar series draws to a close. We have discussed the limitations of a narrow biomedical view of dementia and have learned how even our efforts to be person-centered can often fall short. And we have exposed and challenged these shortcomings using a framework of well-being.
Well-being transcends the presence or absence of medical illness. It transcends functional ability and cognitive ability. The domains we have discussed represent universal human needs, and therefore our right to them must never be sacrificed.
Six domains of well-being have been discussed in detail. The seventh is joy. While moments of joy can occur even in the midst of sadness and loss, sustained joy requires a constant nourishment of the six domains that have gone before. And, as we have seen with those other domains, there are many ways that joy can be challenged in people living with dementia, and also many ways in which it can be directly enhanced.
Creating Joy by Decoding Distress, the last webinar event for Creating Well-Being for Those Who Live with Dementia: Alternatives to Medication Use, will have two parts. In the first, I will discuss joy and put a bookend on our Seven Domains of Well-Being. Then I will show a way in which these seven domains can be used to help us to decode distress; and we will frame a strength-based, proactive approach to create an environment where well-being and reduction of psychotropic medication can be sustained for the long term.
Join us on February 4th. Here’s to a joyful and fulfilling 2014.
