About Dementia Sphere
Your Community for Caring, Sharing & Hope
Welcome to Dementia Sphere! The idea started as a personal story focusing on my mother’s life with Alzheimer’s Dementia from my perspective as a care giver in the South Asian Community, living in London, UK. Initially I was going to focus solely on our journey and what it entailed. I remember the experience being extremely difficult; feelings of loneliness and being alone experienced by both of us. It also occurred to me that given the rising cases of dementia globally and the likelihood of greater prevalence in the South Asian Community, I couldn’t be the only person feeling the way I was. I often asked the question, where do I go, who do I speak to and who will hear me let alone understand me? I hope that by sharing our story you may resonate with some of the issues and take some comfort in the words and when appropriate, share your experience with us here on Dementia Sphere.
The aim of Dementia Sphere is not only to tell my story but allow others to contribute to it with their thoughts, knowledge and experience and help build a community and safe place for opinions to be expressed. In some ways, I hope it will serve as a voice for others and create a greater understanding in the wider community. I hope you can take something from it, share your thoughts and possible issues you’ve faced so that the community can grow and support one another.
The website has 3 key areas of focus;
- Projects
- Stories
- Info & Resources
In the Projects section main focus is on the 1 Million Squares for Dementia Project – an initiative to encourage community building through crocheting and/or knitting squares, dedicating them to loved ones with dementia and sharing them on social media.
The Stories section provides narratives from carers and family members (including myself) who are either looking after or have previously cared for someone with dementia. The aim of these stories is to provide insights about how it is to walk in the shoes of a carer and the challenges that are faced. Please check out the My Story and Other Stories.
The Info & Resources section provides information on dementia related topics, links to other websites with useful contact names & numbers and social media handles as well as organisations that provide support to carers and family members. Please check out the Info & Resources available to you.
About the Logo
When I developed the logo, I wanted it to be simple, easy to remember and recognisable. Dementia is a disease that affects the functionality of the brain, hence I chose to use the brain icon. The various areas that could be affected by it are depicted by using different colours. The icon is also easy to identify whatever the size, be it on a poster or business card.
In terms of the name ‘Dementia Sphere’, a sphere is a three-dimensional circle. I believe that dementia needs to be addressed in a similar fashion. For a person with the disease, one needs to treat them from a holistic perspective, mentally, physically and emotionally. It affects and impacts the person, their immediate family and others around them. I therefore believe that ‘Dementia Sphere’ accurately encompasses the different aspects of the disease and provides me with the opportunity to write about them.
Dementia Sphere is about creating a space and platform where caregivers and family members of those living with dementia can seek information, resources and advice and, share their experiences.