Thank you to all @independentage for the nomination

Well I got a wee surprise e mail today from independent age to say my wee blog has been nominated for one of their awards,I don’t know what to say except thank you to whoever nominated the blog and I am proud that my wee blog about my mum and our awareness hopes and dreams might mean something to people out there and hope it helps in some small way raise awareness

my mum has inspired me all my life and she inspires me to write our story so well done mum

Thank you

Tommy

I am writing to let you know that your blog, Tommy on Tour, has been nominated for an older People in the Media Award, or, a Rose Award. Here are links to two press releases to give you a little more information about the awards. They also contain a full list of the categories –your blog has been nominated for category 5: best coverage of issues around dementia and/or social care

http://www.independentage.org/media/232301/the_roses_-_older_people_in_the_media_awards_final.pdf

http://www.independentage.org/media/267306/janet_street-porter_to_host_the_rosesfinal.pdf

With apologies to GNEC, as I have to cancel my visit tomorrow

Hi

I was meant to be passing by Glasgow North East Carers tomorrow to update on my campaign and future plans ,My wee mum is not doing to well just now and may have to be admitted to hospital ,the doctor is coming out again in the morning again with some more blood results and we are monitoring how she is doing .So my care for my mum has to come first and I hope I can re-arrange a new date to pass by ,this is only the 3^rd talk/ meeting I have missed over the last year and I send my apologies  

Tommy    

Forty thousand thanks for reading my wee blog, thank you

Hi

Well my admittedly badly punctuated blog reached 40,000 views last night in fact sitting on  40,120 this morning ,I am completely grateful ,overwhelmed and aware that this includes repeat views and so on and I hope in some small way it helps raise awareness on dementia and life caring for someone you love ,In fact if it is just one person who has read it 40,120 then its worth doing ,isn’t it ? I hope and think so

Imagine if we could turn that into 40,000 life stories now that would be awareness to take to the people who need to read them  you can add yours at tommy@i-woz-there.com  and I will add to hundreds I already have and continue to keep taking them out to be read

Tommy

Had the doctor out again,,,,,

Hi

Well I had to call the doctor out again last night, about a month ago my mum had a seizure and was rushed into hospital and was in for around a week. As a son who has cared for my mum for 5 years now, I know in my heart where we are for the first week after getting home my mum seemed much brighter and a bit stronger, but this has been changing on a weekly basis since.We are having great trouble with my mum swallowing, she is not eating so well but its liquids that are the bigger problem as my mum will not take them and when she does wont swallow and that is causing some choking ,we are concerned about a few things including dehydration and the doctor has taken lots of blood to check a few things,the district nurses will come this morning to take more .We had a wee chat about possibly admitting my mum for fluids but I have put that off till the results come back this afternoon .I feel hospital admissions might become more frequent now. But we have to do all we can to limit those occasions and allow her to stay at home beside her son for two reasons my wee mum needs me and I most certainly need her.After 5 years facing dementia and how ill my mum is at this point you convince yourself you are prepared for the worst .when my mum had her seizure a month ago I realized I am no more prepared for the worst than I was 5 years ago when this journey started when I was prepared for nothing

Tommy  

The importance of promoting good practice,in my view

Hi

As sit I sit here with my mum trying in many ways trying to evaluate the last 5 years and where we are today, I am under no illusions that this journey to care for my mum would be an impossible task without the people who play their part and a massive part .we like many others have faced along the way by some a lack of understanding, advice and sometimes care and attitude, but we have also had great help from many professionals and volunteers along the way As my mum wakes up each day to face dementia and I wake up each day to try and care for her. many many people wake up in a professional capacity to supply good care advice and comfort and we should celebrate them, yes we should question and challenge the few who add heartache and don’t help, but we should promote, encourage be thankful for the amazing people who without their help and commitment, this would be an impossible task to care for a loved one at home. We should work on the negatives and celebrate and promote the positives. We should shout from the rooftops about the people who play a big part in our lives, and that may encourage the ones who hold us back to be inspired to follow their lead

I salute the people who help me care for my mum, good practice is important and we should celebrate and encourage others to follow

This son and his mum are grateful for the part they play in our lives

Tommy  

it’s not my campaign it’s for everyone who cares,needs care who sends a life story and beyond

Hi  

Raising awareness and campaigning is my passion, after caring for my mum. There is no real headline to my campaign. First and foremost its to raise awareness in my case on dementia and caring ,my mum has Vascular Dementia and I am her son and carer, one thing I have learnt since starting this campaign is that there are many other reasons to need or give care .when I started this campaign from loneliness, isolation and the struggles dementia and caring brings I thought its only us living this life ,I was soon to find out we where not alone and many many others  where facing  similar and many greater struggles than we do but this campaign is not about Tommy and Joan ,we are part of it ,its about all the Fathers ,Mothers ,husbands, wives sons ,daughters ,brothers sisters and families who wake up today doing the best they can to give care sometimes against all odds to someone they love .Tommy and Joans story is one of the stories amongst many that’s why there is no headline to this campaign the collection of life stories without guidance will decide the headline , and will highlight the needs and the diversity of  issues we face .I might be the one taking those stories to decision makers or to raises awareness but I allow them to speak for themselves. I firmly believe our life stories can help bring more understanding and help and I am proud and feel privileged  to take them to all I feel need to read them and can bring more help, there is no headline from me ,but its there within every letter I collect and every carer I have met and still to meet

You life in your words

Tommy      

You can help me, and others by sharing your story, thoughts or opinions at tommy@i-woz-ther.com

Speaking , Reid Kerr College to health and social care students next week

Hi

 A big thanks to Maureen Macpherson head of health and social carer at Reid Kerr College and Carmen Cham one of the students for making contact and inviting me to speak to health and social care students on September 12^th .the college and students are doing a module on dementia and caring this term and I look forward to speaking about caring for my mum ,the letters I receive and the people I meet on my tour

Big thanks to Maureen, Carmen and the college for the invite

Tommy

Caring ,Are you a carer, Have you cared for a loved one ?,then your words can help

Hi  

I have been collecting life stories, thoughts and opinions from people over the last year that has helped me to paint a picture of caring for a loved one.

I have taken the information from these letters to the Scottish Government, Social Work departments in Councils, NHS and beyond.

My promise is to do all I can to raise awareness to wider society’s am using the life stories, thoughts and opinions in my own time at my own cost to take to the people I feel need to hear them not as a petition, not in protest, but to bring more understanding and raise awareness on the lives we lead Can your story help others? If you would like to help a son and full time carer do this, then please send your thoughts to tommy@i-woz-there.com

The letters I have received to date have raised motions at councils and produced papers at SW with more papers in the pipeline

I hope your words can help me do this.

Tommy

Son full time carer and caring awarerness campaigner

Back to Glasgow North East Carers on Thursday to chat with good friends and update on my campaign

Good Moring

I will be popping over to GNEC on Thursday to update on my progress .GNEC are great friends to my wee awareness campaign in fact you will see some of this amazing group in my film, they also formed a wee writing group last year to put together thoughts on dementia and caring and two members of the group traveled with me  to parliament to give support when I handed over the first collection of life stories and showed our film

I will also be popping into Glasgow South West Carer parents group on the Friday to chat about my campaign and hear from other Carers who care fir their  children

Looking forward to catching up and discussing my future plans

Tommy  

we, at this time we have no cure for Dementia but we can cure understanding, loneliness, isolation and awareness

Hi

Its another Saturday night and we sit alone like nearly every other not just Saturday, but nearly every night of this 5 year journey, in fact before my campaign you could have included   every day to that .Those words sum up how we live and why I started my campaign  Loneliness  ,Isolation ,lack of awareness and lack of understanding, words that appear in so many of the letters I receive, but not as often as LOVE sometimes that’s all we are left with, LOVE but if we threw in a but more understanding added a bit more awareness took away some of the loneliness and isolation we would all stand a better chance until a cure is found, we cant core dementia at this time  but as a society we can cure all of the above and that does not take money its takes people. people can change things .we are not alone in those struggles ,far to many people are facing similar and far to many  are facing greater struggles than my mum and i and I don’t know how they do it  

I wish you a good Saturday night

Tommy

Sometimes we laugh,sometimes we cry…….

Hi  

 Caring is such a mixed bag of emotions, I try every day to wake up and face the day ahead  the best I can ,I have to in order to give my mum the best care possible to support her in  this battle she faces every day and has done for the last 5 years, this ever changing journey has been a constant challenge to keeps pace with ,we have faced many struggles only a year ago my mum was so confused agitated and scared that she constantly wanted to leave the house to go home  sometime up to 20-30 times a day and through the night .and I was at the end of my tether on the other hand her smile and the person she is would full my heart with joy, lately the stress is being replaced by sadness all to often, my mum can still make me smile ,she can certainly fill my heart with joy and she inspires me in ways only matched  by my late father this morning sitting giving my mum breakfast has been a morning full of tears .I would take the stress back in heartbeat from last year I would Give anything for my mum to get out the bed and try and walk out the door .we are fading away side by side ,this morning my heart is full of tears  but I know my mum will turn that into a smile at some point today .That’s the inspiration and greatness mums and dads have ,no matter what they face ,the can make their children smile and inspire them to keep going ,my mum is and so shall I  

Tommy