Peace

"Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal," Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

We can acknowledge with gratitude what Martin Luther King did to foster tolerance and respectful treatment of people, especially African-Americans. We, as caregivers, can do the same for people with dementia. We can expect people to treat with dignity the persons for whom we provide care. We can show them how by example. I once knew someone with dementia who had an active part in a church service; the congregation complained and asked the pastor to remove him because his lurching walk made them uncomfortable. The pastor did remove him. Let us together expect better treatment for our care receivers. We and they can expect they receive the same respect, dignity, regard given to anyone. I spent a part of my earlier life advocating for people with cognitive and physical disabilities. Here too in caregiving we can set the bar high for how included people with dementia are. Let us expect freedom, respect and dignity for us all. "I have a dream," Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We, too, can have a dream of a world in which all people are treated with respectful dignity, and we can act in that way ourselves as models for the world. What is one small action we can take today to advance the respectful inclusion of people with dementia in society?