Dementia and love
Much of the focus on dementia and sexuality has been on sex - and sexual consent. These topics are important - but we want to encourage a broader focus to understanding of the importance of love in the lives of people living with dementia. Here is some of the work we have been doing to achieve that.
Museum of Love
The Museum of Love develops, collects, preserves and displays items documenting the importance of love in the lives of people with dementia. The Museum is online and has also travelled to community to host Festivals of Love and Dementia. Collections include:
- The Kiss: portraits of people with dementia kissing someone they love
- Letters of Love: letters about love on film, on paper and in images
- Dance: portraits and stories about intimacy and belonging
- Pulse of My Heart: a series of films tracing the life and loves of Edie Mayhew and Anne Tudor
- LoveFest Perth: a celebration of love and dementia in Perth, WA
Small Acts of Love
Small Acts of Love recognises that beyond romanticised ideals of love there are skills that can help us to renegotiate relationships and rebuild connections when someone we love has dementia. These actions to renegotiate and rebuild are Small Acts of Love. An Inaugural Symposium on Dementia and Love Symposium was hosted in 2017 to document the Small Acts of described by people living with dementia and their families.
International Handbook of Love
We are excitedly waiting for the launch of this handbook in May 2021 - because it includes a chapter on dementia and love. The chapter was written by Dr Catherine Barrett, Anne Tudor, John Quinn and Glenys Petrie. The coauthoring by a person with dementia and the partners of people living with dementia make this chapter real and rich reading. More info here
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Australian Journal of Dementia Care
Thankyou to the Australian Journal of Dementia Care for sharing our work to raise awareness of the importance of intimacy in the lives of people with dementia.
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