Fight Dementia Australia Thank You

Hi 

A massive thank you to fight dementia Australia for putting my campaign and film on their Facebook page and  in the newsletters ,also thank you to all who have retweeted my blog and film and for the kind comments

Thank you all for the great work you do in raising awareness

Tommy

E Mails, Letters Life and Love Stories

It has been a busy few weeks for Tommyontour, I was out doing a wee talk at GNEC, it was great to see great friends and supporters of my wee awareness campaign  

when I got home I was catching up on the letters and e mails I have received over the lat weeks, and amongst the issues, questions ,the cry for help and in many  complaints there is one thing that stands out and that is love, So as I have said from day one this campaign is not a protest or a petition , this campaign is  the life stories of people who lives have changed when a loved one is diagnosed  with dementia  I hope  we can learn from the letters and bring more understanding ,help and awareness on  this tragic illness and all that it brings

We as a society can bring help and understanding in a way that keeps our life closer to love stories and less of a  tragedy,

Keep the letters coming we can all help families who will face dementia in the future

Tommy

Glasgow North East Carers, Back to Meet Good Friends

Hi

I will be at GNEC today to update on my campaign, this amazing group sent letters ,appeared in my film  ,accompanied me to parliament and appeared on the evening news with me .Now that’s what I call helping a son  raise  awareness

Tommy

Thank you all for the amazing support ……………..

Big thanks to all who have been in touch to support my awareness campaign over the last weeks

And thank you for the emails letters, life stories and invites to come and talk about this awareness campaign

Our letters and life stories will help being more understanding to how we live and care for a loved one with dementia

Looking forward to visiting all the amazing local  care groups across the county who help families like mine on a daily basis

Thank you all

Tommy

Speaking to District Nurses on May 2nd at East bank Health Promotion Centre

A big thank you to Christina Hamill for getting in touch and inviting me to speak at the event she is organizing at East bank Health Promotion Centre on may 2^nd

This event will be attended by 45 district nurses, I met Christina last week when I was one of the speakers at a palliative care event held at St Margaret's Hospice

I am grateful for this opportunity to talk to professionals about dementia, caring for my mum and my wee campaign

Tommy

 

Glasgow North East Carers and Baillieston Community Care Talks Confirmed .........

Hi

I will be back to meet and talk with dear friends at Glasgow North East Carers on Thursday ,This amazing group of people sent letters, appeared in my film and John from the group appeared on STV news when they covered my last trip to meet with the deputy first minister  ,David from Baillieston Community Care got in touch to invite me back to meet and talk with his group on April 4^th Carers from both the above groups accompanied to Parliament last November when I first met with the Deputy First Minister

I look forward to seeing great friends and supporters of my awareness campaign

Tommy

Positive Talk at NHS, AOD PFPI Steering Group Today..................

Hi

A massive thank you to Daniel Connelly form NHS Glasgow community engagement team for organizing the chance for me to talk to the Acute Operating Division’s Patient Focus & Public Involvement steering Group earlier today, and to all who attended .I feel the talk went well, I had a 30 minute talk then we watched the film followed by a question and answer session

I look forward to the feedback and hopefully future talks within the care sector

 

please see response to talk belwo

Hi Tommy,

Many thanks for attending the Patient Experience meeting yesterday. Your presentation was really helpful in taking forward this work and highlighting some important needs of both patients and carers. There were a number of points highlighted yesterday that we will need to look at in the near future to ensure these are taken forward. I think your description on how attitudes and communication can really affect experience was invaluable and really touched some of those in attendance. I thank you so much for taking the time to come along and I can assure you that this was time well spent and will help in improving the care and experience of those involved with our services.

Speak to you soon and keep up the good work!

Thanks again, Daniel

 

Tommy

Dementia, Caring, Letters and Life Stories,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Good Morning

As a son, carer, and would be awareness campaigner, I have spent the last months asking people to share their experiences, living with and caring for a loved one with dementia

And I am sure many will ask can a letter or e mail change a life or raise awareness and understanding

Before I came  home to visit my mum a few years ago after traveling around the world with my job, a visit  home that shocked and changed our lives I was just getting over the break up from  my then long term girlfriend .we both traveled with our jobs and for a long time my then girlfriend kept telling me things had to change and every time she told me or tried to tell me ,I always seemed to talk my way out  of changing ,I always seemed to say when I get home in a few months we will talk about it and things will be ok .

The more she shouted , tried to talk to me or asked for me to listen and understand  the less I heard

Then one day I was going away for 4 months and when I arrived at my destination I opened my suitcase to find a letter, on reading that letter I understood everything my girlfriend had been trying to tell me, I understood why we had to part and I understood why I had to change and I understood as much as we loved each other we had to go our separate ways.

My heart was broken but she was right ,

So a letter changed my life, and I believe our letters and life stories can at the very least bring more understanding on how we feel and live

So I will answer the question can our letters and life stories change lives, I believe they can

Tommy

SNP Conference Raising Awareness

SNP Conference Raising Awareness

HI

I was at the SNP conference today (my first conference) and would like to say thank you to the Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for inviting me for a coffee and a chat about the awareness campaign .we sat for twenty minutes chatting about the letters, the people I have met on this tour, my mum and life as a son and carer

We are meeting again on May 9^th, when I will be handing in my third report on my awareness activities (a report on the people I meet ,their thoughts and the talks I do) along with the letters and e mails I receive .I still truly believe our life stories will help bring more understanding on the lives we lead ,so keep them coming

I also bumped into and attended a fringe meeting with Fiona collie and Lynn Williams, also a big thank to David McDonald and john Shaw for taking time to chat

While I was there I handed out some DVDs of the Tommyontour film long with my blog details to delegates and exhibitors I was introduced to ,

I hope a few will get in touch and help me raise awareness on dementia and caring for a loved one

Tommy

SNP Conference Today, Hope to Meet and Make New Friends,

hi

Heading off to the SNP conference today, Happy to say I will be meeting the Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at mid-day to have a quick chat and update her on the  progress Of my awareness campaign and ambitions

A few SNP members have kindly got in touch to say they will look out for me and  say hello ,my  wee mum is at her wee day group today so I have 5 hours to get there meet some people and get home ,

I will update more tonight after I get home

Tommy  

Tommyontour Film Now on Websites Around the World,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Good Morning  

Big thanks to Fight Dementia Australia, Dementia Aware New York and Dementia Today California for getting in touch and agreeing to put the film on their websites

I sit late at night furiously typing the words dementia and Alzheimer’s followed by a country into Google, and sending them my film and blog I am tired but extremely happy to say lots of national awareness groups throughout the world are getting back in touch to say the are putting the film on their sites, sharing with others and sending my blog out

Thank you all for helping rasie awareness

Tommy