Catherine Lewis McNulty (she /her)’s Post

Charity and public sector marketing can be a really hard balance Between showing the hard-hitting truth of how hard things can get, to encourage donations, activism and awareness But not scaring, isolating and stigmatising those who are earlier in their journey And on the other hand if you try to be positive, between showing the optimism and hope of how your service's support can make a difference Without losing the sense of urgency for your cause, or alienating people by understating the hardship they go through I have so much respect for marketing professionals who specialise in this, because it's so hard to get that balance right. This campaign looks like it's going to be a good case study on that! What do you think of this one? #CharityComms #SocialMarketing #CharityMarketing

This campaign is ableist, it is dehumanising & it literally positions people living with dementia as dead. Nobody objects to telling the truth, to discussing anticipatory grief or outlining the devastating impact of the condition on family carers. But I deeply object to the use of death as a metaphor for the lives of people with dementia. I object to every single loss or symptom being framed as death. I object to not campaigning for adequate supports and services rather using frightening imagery. I object to the professionals involved using marketing speak about the campaign. I object to the very valid lived experience of family carers being used as a tool to dehumanise those for whom they care. I object to nobody pointing out that the ‘deaths’ or disease progression could have been eased with appropriate supports. This is the darkest day in dementia advocacy I have experienced in the last decade.

At the very beginning of this process we wanted to be laser-like and single minded in our focus on what the single enemy was we wanted to tackle. It was of course ‘dementia’. There are lots of important next-tier enemies; diagnosis, stigma, funding, unpaid carers, postcode lottery etc and each of those is a vital area requiring improvement. But the overarching, common enemy is and was dementia. While most people who have experienced dementia, as almost everyone that worked on this ad has, find it hard to believe that the public often don’t see dementia as a major injustice, we have the data to show that’s the case. “Your old, you’ve got to die of something, perhaps it’s a blissful way to go. Etc. “ It isn’t! Despite it being the biggest health and social care issue of our time, only 30% of the public strongly agree that urgent action is needed on dementia. We have to change that. And showing dementia at its worst is unfortunately necessary to do so. Whatever our areas of focus are, surely it’s time for us to unite and galvanise around the one main enemy we all want to defeat, dementia. We finally have the UK’s biggest killer on the run. Let’s stick together and finish the job!

My dad has dementia. And I’m losing a bit of him every day. It has been devastating to watch the towering 6ft 6in man, my dad, my rock, lose more and more of himself. An English teacher - a man of words – he has withdrawn from social and family interactions, losing his love of words and communicating. This weekend’s family Easter celebration was another painful reminder of that. This appalling, slow death of ‘self’ will impact half of us – either directly or a family member. So why on earth is no one is talking about it?? You may have seen the new ad from Alzheimer’s Society, “The Long Goodbye”. This portrayal of dementia from the point of view of the family – losing their loved one again, and again, and again… and the incredible pain that causes – is one that resonates all too strongly. So I’m incredibly proud that me and my team at Alzheimer’s Society are partnering with amazing people, trusts and foundations, who will not lie down and accept the devastation that dementia is causing millions of families worldwide. People and organisations that are standing with us, investing in support for families like mine navigating the daily challenges and trauma today, and investing in new treatments and diagnosis that will transform all of our experiences of dementia in the future. The Long Goodbye shows just how badly that change is needed. If you haven’t seen it yet, I really recommend giving it a watch. Hundreds of families affected by dementia – just like mine - contributed to its making. And if you’re going through this too, please know Alzheimer’s Society will be there for you - again and again, and again. 💙 #dementia #alzheimers #alzheimerssociety #longgoodbye

Kate Lee, CEO of Alzheimer's Society, thank you for trying to respond to this very sensitive and raw subject. As someone living with dementia and someone caring for others who are going through neurocognitive changes, I understand that your advert, “The Long Goodbye” might be trying to accomplish. I know that the narrative and experience of the caregiver/care partner for years has been of continual pain and loss. Forever grieving the person their loved one was in comparison to what they have become. However, you could also have shown the new narrative, you might have shown what happens when we remove the stigma and fear from the topic of dementia and how that DOES change the outcome for both the care partner and the person living life with a dementia diagnosis. Yes… there are people who still experience this diagnosis as instant death. And some of them resent me when I suggest there is another way to treat this. But, you and your organization have a responsibility to educate those who do not know of a way that may just help them to cherish their lives for as long as they are living. No one knows their expiration date. Not you. Not me. But, people with dementia hopefully stop putting things off to experience “someday” and learn to live fully in the moment. We could all learn from that. I am sharing your letter for those who might want to read it. https://lnkd.in/ePjHPSW3

Such a powerful message in such a simple way. 💙

How Life Works: The Lie Go to work, work hard to climb that career ladder, pay for tutors for your kids to get them into the best schools, get a nice house and a couple of nice cars and you will be fulfilled. Oh and your parents will be the happiest at all your achievements and of course enjoying their time to rest... Where do we get this dream? The dream that our parents, in their old age, will have retirement cruises around the world, grandchildren who shower them with unconditional love, pension pots that they finally get to cash in after their years of hard work? Is it programming? Hope? We all pray for long life for our parents and thank God for blessing us if our prayers are answered. Please remember to prepare whilst you pray for the possible dwindling health for those same parents. And please remember to pray... for yourself. The average person, with an elderly parent with dementia will be middle aged and thus be: 1. Working full time - time poor - would you really quit your job to care for your ailing parent, if so, what would happen? 2. Heavily burdened with financial duties to their nuclear family whilst trying to save for their own retirement - could you pay for the care of your ailing parent, if so, how would this affect you and your family? I firmly believe dementia patients fare better with as many family members around them, for as long as is possible. So if you are reading this and there is still time for you to care for that parent who needs you now. I don't care how, but please start investing in assets that will give you #FREEDOM of #TIME and #FINANCES to care for loved ones when they need you most. PS. I have chosen #property as its the safest and most certain asset I know of. Many of my investors have retired after a single property deal, getting all of their initial investment out of the deal and building generational wealth. If you ever want to talk to someone about how to get started...I'm here.

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