Will you write a Poem for Dementia?
Write a poem to help raise funds for Dementia and Alzheimers charities

"Our Dementia Journey"


As a carer for my Dad who has dementia I know how difficult both physically and emotionally dementia can be for both the person who has it and close family particularly those who are carers day to day. It is the first hand experience of the effects of dementia on my Dad and my family that inspired me to write a book to raise funds for Alzheimers and Dementia research.

This book is entitled “Our Dementia Journey” 

It is a collection of heartfelt and emotional poems about my family’s journey with dementia including messages of hope and advice for those on the same journey.

Having never previously written a poem in my life before suddenly I started writing poems, the first time being in the middle of the night. I found that they helped me by putting down on paper how I was feeling including my emotions and helped me better reflect on and better understand certain situations. 

Over time as I wrote more poems, usually early in the morning, I started to think that perhaps some of the things I learned from our dementia journey may be of some small help to others on the same journey or who are about to start it.

Poetry seemed to me to be a good way to provide it with fairly short poems often with a simple message.

I truly believe that "Everyone has a poem in them". 

I would encourage everyone therefore to take some time out and sit down and write or speak a poem. You may well find it therapeutic and it may also give you a sense of satisfaction when it is done. It may well let you express your feelings in a way you can’t necessarily do any other way.

Your Dementia Journey?



As a follow on to my book I am looking to compile another book of poems. I would like anyone who wishes, to send me a poem, or poems, particularly those in the Dementia community.

It doesn’t need to be about dementia and can be about anything as there is still life outside dementia and the creativity of people with dementia and their families, caregivers and those involved with dementia research, support and charities is great. Depending on the volume of poems I will publish a quarterly collection of some of the poems and send them out to all subscribers for a small subscription and publish a poetry book annually with a lot more of the poems. Again all royalties will go to dementia charities  and all poems published will have full accreditation to their authors in the quarterly collection and annual book.

 

The hope is that more and more people find confidence and enjoyment in writing poems and write them more regularly and the publications can become an ongoing thing and raise regular much needed funds for dementia charities.

What will you write a poem about?



Reflect on your experiences of living with dementia

Reflecting on your experiences as someone who has dementia
 - what insight and inspiration can you provide for others?

Advice for others on the same journey

Based on your experience of caring for someone with dementia what advice would you give to others  that may be helpful to them on their journey?

How challenges were overcome

What heartache and challenges have you had to overcome to achieve what you have? 
What makes you happy and what makes you sad? What makes you laugh what makes you cry? Your poem can be about whatever you like 

Will you help?

 Do you have dementia  or are a family member of someone suffering from dementia, will you write a poem to help?

Are you a carer for someone with dementia, will you write a poem to help?

Are you a health professional with experience of dementia, will you write a poem to help?

Contributions are also welcome from anyone who just wants to help and feels they can contribute a useful or inspiring poem.

Please give your poems in support of people with dementia.
Submit a Poem

Money raised

All of my royalties raised from the sale of the "Our Dementia Journey" book will go to Alzheimers Research UK who have given approval to the book.

Alzheimer's Research UK is the the world’s largest dedicated dementia research charity. As research experts, they fund world-class, pioneering scientists around the world to find preventions, treatments and a cure for dementia.  All of my time spent on compiling the book was given without any charge.

Future books published with Poems for Dementia will also go to Alzheimers and dementia charities.