Where are we to go? A 2023 message from Reimagining Dementia
Mary Fridley visits the Third Age Project, event hosted by Reimaginging Dementia Coalition members : Kate White, Berni Godinho, Kate Maravan, Holly Marland and David McDonagh.
Hi everyone,
As the Reimagining Dementia Coalition looks ahead to the new year, we are grateful for all of you and the many, many, many others across the globe working to create a better world. What an honor it has been to play together, including at our member gatherings, the next series of which are coming up the week of January 16 (for more information and to register, click here).
I had the honor in November of traveling to the U.K., where the Coalition held a reception at the Third Age Project, a wonderful senior community center in London. Hosted by steering committee member Kate White and our U.K. team of Berni Godinho, Kate Maravan, Holly Marland and David McDonagh, the festivities brought together dozens of Coalition members and friends, including people living with dementia, care partners, advocates, artists, researchers and community members active with Third Age.
In my remarks, I shared my response to a NY Times guest editorial column written after the shootings at Club Q, an LGTBQ bar in Colorado, that took place just days before the event. In it, the author wrote, “They tell us not to talk about it. They tell us everything would be fine if we’d just keep it behind closed doors. It’s tragic because…no matter how quiet we kept it….we aren’t safe. As one of the survivors asked, ‘Where are we supposed to go?’”
After reading the piece I couldn’t help but think of the many thousands of older adults, many living with dementia and so many others - the poor, people of color and indigenous populations - who were allowed to die during the pandemic, and who continue to be neglected, dehumanized, shamed, stigmatized and silenced.
So where are we supposed to go?
Into every community and every corner of the globe! The Coalition is more committed than ever to bringing dementia “out from behind closed doors” by tearing down the “cone of silence” that surrounds it even though millions are impacted. Our growing movement has so much to offer, not just to people impacted by dementia, but to communities and to people across the globe living in uncertainty and struggling to navigate our often frightening world.
Because there are so many creative and innovative programs/ organizations/initiatives - including the ones you are involved with/helping to build - doing amazing work, the Coalition can focus on shining an ever brighter spotlight on this work even as we intensify efforts in 2023 to leverage our collective resources, experiences and successes in ways that qualitatively increase the impact we can have everywhere we’re needed.
We have much to build with. In 2022, the Coalition:
Grew our membership to 760+ members from over 31 countries and hosted 12 member gatherings - each as playful as they were interesting - attended by hundreds of members and new friends.
Launched Let’s Reimagine, an original song and video that has been viewed by (and inspired) tens of thousands of people around the world, including dementia advocates in Malaysia who created their own video and are partnering with Coalition members to bring creativity to those impacted by dementia in their country.
Established a vibrant social media presence, participated in dozens of podcast and media interviews, and presented at conferences and to local, national and global organizations.
Whatever the future brings, the Coalition remains volunteer-driven and independently funded, so if you can make a contribution, your support is appreciated. We also invite you to check out the articles, member videos and resources on our website!
We look forward to working with you on continuing to create a just and inclusive world in which dementia and other diagnoses are no longer considered the end of life but as a starting point for new possibilities.
In the meantime, best wishes for a joyous and creative 2023.
Mary.
Reimagining Dementia Coalition Coordinator