Be In The World

Save the Date - 9 May! 💥

We're kicking off our indoor movement sessions at the Zandvlei parkrun in Muizenberg.

Everyone in full-time homebased care is welcome, together with other family members. Move more -- put more joy, connection and meaning into life!

If you're in Cape Town, help us make the Zandvlei sessions a success and open the road for similar events at other parkruns.

Please share with all your networks!

Who would have thought that adding such a tiny bit of movement to your life could be so meaningful! Pump those calves today!

Save the date for the Ageing Well Together - Partnerships for Building Healthy Communities conference on 30 September and 1 October 2026 in Stellenbosch, Western Cape.

GERATEC, Neighbourhood Old Age Homes (NOAH), and Project Scaffold are co-hosting this conference in collaboration with the Western Cape Older Persons Care Alliance. The goal is to create a space for real collaboration, not just discussion.

In South Africa, we see every day that care is an intergenerational and interconnected reality. It grows through our communities, relationships, and shared responsibility. This conference will bring together people from many backgrounds, including older persons, community organisations, caregivers, healthcare professionals, clinicians, academics, students, and service providers.

Together, we aim to connect across sectors, share ideas and personal experiences, and explore new, community-driven ways to provide care. collaborate to shape the future of care. What we share is much stronger than what separates us.

If you work in, study, or care about the future of care, I invite you to save the date and register your interest to attend by emailing us. We will share more details soon, including registration information and the full programme.

Please RSVP Leigh at DignitySA if you'd like to attend their info event on accessing palliative care

Daniela Russo shared some spot-on insights on LinkedIn for family caregivers. I'm not sold on the war analogy, but her clever spin on Sun Tzu's The Art of War principles for dementia care is pretty creative. What do you think?

🧠💣 THE ART OF WAR FOR DEMENTIA CAREGIVERS WHO NEVER ENLISTED

When I was 10 and dangerously bored, my father (a sociologist with a PhD-grade library) handed me The Art of War and said:

“Read. You’ll need this.”

I assumed he meant school exams or surviving family gatherings.
Turns out he meant dementia caregiving which is basically military strategy with snacks.

The only quote that survived my childhood neurons was:

“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”

Fast-forward to my mother’s dementia… and Sun Tzu suddenly becomes the Beyoncé of caregiver tactics.

🎖 RULE 1 — Identify the enemy

Sun Tzu: “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”

The enemy was not my mother.
The enemy was the dementia occupying her frontal lobe like a hostile foreign power.

🎖 RULE 2 — Do not interrupt harmless mistakes

Sun Tzu: “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”

Dementia: “I need to go to work!”
❌ Rookie me: “Mum, you retired 20 years ago.”
Outcome: panic, tears and stress.

Sun Tzu version:
“Of course — coffee first. Nobody fires caffeinated people.”
Outcome: peace treaty signed, muffins served.

🎖 RULE 3 — Avoid unnecessary battles

Sun Tzu: “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”

Caregiver translation:

Arguing = losing. Redirecting = winning.

You don’t win points by being “right.”
You win by protecting dignity.

🎖 RULE 4 — Know the terrain

Sun Tzu: “He who knows the terrain wins half the battle.”

Terrain in dementia care =
✔ sensory memory
✔ roles
✔ emotional timelines
✔ unmet needs
✔ attachment

🎖 RULE 5 — Attack strategy, not soldiers

Sun Tzu: “Attack the enemy’s strategy.”

Dementia steals logic & time.
But leaves feelings, rhythm, music, identity, and purpose astonishingly alive.

So we flanked:

🔺 Fear → safety
🔺 Boredom → purpose
🔺 Control → choices
🔺 Grief → storytelling
🔺 Disorientation → familiarity

We don’t fight behavior. We solve the need underneath.

🎖 RULE 6 — Channel the river

Sun Tzu: “Water shapes its course according to the ground.”

Dementia: “I need to go home.”
Most people think “home” = address.
In dementia, “home” = time period where the nervous system felt safe.

Redirection becomes water management, not police enforcement.

🎖 RULE 7 — Let confusion reveal intelligence

Sun Tzu: “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”

Confusion reveals intel:
“I need my baby.” → role = mother
“I’m late for work.” → identity = provider
“I want my mum.” → safety = attachment figure

This is not nonsense.
This is reconnaissance data.

🎖 RULE 8 — Redefine victory

Sun Tzu: “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war.”

We didn’t defeat dementia.
No one does.

But we defeated:
✔ humiliation
✔ fear
✔ isolation
✔ panic

And we preserved:
✔ dignity
✔ identity
✔ humor
✔ connection
✔ love

Sun Tzu would call that: victory without bloodshed.
Caregivers call it: Tuesday.

🟡 Last chance to sign up!

Join our Deep South pilot project — four relaxed Saturdays from 10am to 2pm. Starts 8 November in Fish Hoek. Easy to get to, close to public transport.

It’s a warm, welcoming space for both care partners and other family members to connect, share and take a breather.

💛 On our final Saturday we’re hosting a Memory Café — open to everyone! Local residents and businesses keen to help build dementia-friendly communities are especially welcome

📩 Message Linda to find out more or save your spot!

If you can get to Hout Bay next week, this should be an interesting discussion. The post says it's till 2.30 but its actually finishing at 3.30 (1.5h). Tickets are R50 on Quicket - follow the link.

Book tickets for Dementia Dialogue Session 2 - What happens to the person behind the "disease"? Join us for an innovative 12-session discussion series that challenges traditional approaches to dementia care and explores cutting-edge perspectives on neurocognitive impairment.

Start the conversation about life's final chapter - it's never too early to plan. The sooner we prepare, the more peace we find, and the fewer burdens we leave behind. Join this online event tomorrow to take that important first step!

🟡 Still a few spots left!

Join our Deep South pilot project — four relaxed Saturdays starting 8 November in Fish Hoek. Easy to get to, close to public transport.

It’s a warm, welcoming space for both care partners — to connect, share and take a breather.

💛 On our final Saturday we’re hosting a Memory Café — open to everyone! Local residents and businesses keen to learn more about dementia are especially welcome.

📩 Message us to find out more or save your spot!

Well worth attending if you're that side of the world and you'd like to know more about dementia.... Open to folks of all religions, or no religion!

🌿 Dementia Dialogues – Hout Bay 🌿

We are excited to launch the 12-part Dementia Dialogues series at Hout Bay Congregation.

Join us for honest and compassionate conversations about dementia, ageing, and the person behind the diagnosis – facilitated by Prof. Rayne Stroebel.

📍 Venue: Hout Bay Congregation, 30 Oxford Street, Hout Bay
🗓️ Session 1: Wednesday, 1 October 2025 | 14:00–14:30
Topic: Neuro Cognitive Impairment – A New Discourse on Dementia

🗓️ Session 2: Wednesday, 5 November 2025 | 14:00–14:30
Topic: What Happens to the Person Behind the Disease

📧 Bookings: Rev. Jaco – [email protected]

Let’s learn, share, and journey together in understanding dementia and ageing.

🌟 Episode 2 is HERE! 🌟

September 21st marks .

A day to raise awareness on the challenges and stigmas associated with Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia.

play an essential role in ensuring the dignity and wellbeing of people living with dementia. However, their stories often go untold.

Join us in celebrating by tuning into Episode 2 to learn more about “Support, Self-concept, and Community Visibility” for Canadians who provide care for someone living with dementia. Let’s remind care providers how valued they are today, and every day!

👉 Discover the realities of caregiving and join the conversation: