Your BIG Questions Answered
All About Doggies for Dementia Foundation
Greetings our loyal Doggies for Dementia Foundation Blog Readers! I am Carmen Davailus and founder of Doggies for Dementia Foundation. I am a frequent guest on podcasts, and I LOVE talking about Doggies for Dementia! There are some questions I hear often and thought I would devote a blog to this. You might be surprised!
What inspired you to start Doggies For Dementia?
After following and photographing 13 families impacted by dementia for a few years, I wrote a book called, “Just See Me-Sacred Stories from the Other Side of Dementia.” I began to understand the how and why families felt so isolated, alone and disconnected from others. I recognized the need to raise awareness. I wasn’t quite sure until I saw the difference in impact of the images which included dogs and those with only the person with dementia. Additionally, the images were more candid and joyful because dogs bring that with them. Having a dog there is kind of the “great equalizer.” My next thought was how to incorporate dogs into photo sessions and still share the families’ stories. This is how it began and continues to grow.
Dementia affects millions of Americans. The numbers will only increase as the population ages. Yet there’s still a stigma. Why do you think that is, and what can we do to combat it?
We tend to run from things which scare us, and other than death, losing our cognitive abilities is one of our biggest fears. People with dementia need someone (usually more than 1) to care for them, and we are an independent-minded and respecting society. When we fear something, we look away and don’t want to know about it. Dementia causes problems with one’s ability to think, concentrate and figure things out. Memories fade and these things are difficult for us to comprehend. If we don’t look, it won’t happen to us. There was a huge stigma for women with breast cancer when I was a new nurse-some 40 years ago. It wasn’t until women courageously shared their stories and images did the world become more familiar with the disease and the women’s journeys. This is what we are doing for dementia. It’s very noisy out there on the internet though, so we have to find a way to make people stop scrolling. Cute or interesting pics with DOGS do this.
How do you encourage conversation and reduce stigma through this initiative?
I got on a roll and believe I answered that question above.
What kind of feedback do you get when participants see the photos you took of them?
- I plan a “reveal” a week or two after the initial session in order to show families their photos. I also create a video slideshow with clips and photos. I also photograph and video this reveal because the emotion is so palpable. I get very big, tight hugs and tears of both sorrow and joy. I’ve attended a good number of memorials and funerals, and people I never met come up to me to thank me for giving the family such beautiful gifts and experiences. When I photographed book participants for Just See Me, families didn’t really want the photos taken, but they did it for me. Each one told me just how much they meant to them. One wife kept the photos (packaged as a gift) and didn’t look at them until Christmas because she wanted to imagine it was a gift from her husband who was at the later stage of dementia. The photos mean more than even I imagined.
- What kind of feedback do you get from the public, when they see images of people with dementia with their loved ones/furry friends, in a society that tends to focus on the decline of people with dementia, and not their whole personalities?
- 1. First of all, when I speak publicly and share the stories and images, there are always some people who cry really hard. At first I thought perhaps the material was too emotional, however most always they approach me and what I hear is some version of the following: “My mother, father, husband….died and I never thought to take photos. I wish I had known about you or even thought to take photos. I thought it would be in poor taste, andI really regret it now.”
- 2. They understand the images are taken with compassion, kindness and love. In general, I receive very positive feedback on social media. Most tend to write private messages and thank me for doing this work and for how we do it almost always telling me how their lives have been impacted by dementia. They LOVE seeing the dog interaction and then go a bit further into the stories to learn more.
- 3. Some write to tell me they knew very little about it, and when they were faced with it themselves, they felt a bit more knowledgeable.
- 4. Additionally, I hear how much they love knowing their loved one and their stories can help others. They get a chance to create a legacy they never thought of before.
- If someone wants to get a photo session for free, what do they need to know? What areas do you serve? Yes, we gift the full photo session (s) and a generous package of images and video slideshow. Above all, the experience is beyond description and available to any family impacted by dementia and want to include a familiar dog whenever possible. Families agree with the mission to raise awareness and know and agree that we want the images and/or videos to go viral. We understand families may want to remain private, and sessions are offered for a fee through my for-profit business, Carmen’s Legacy Productions.
- We serve the central TX area right now, and plan to include other photographers across the country and internationally. We also plan to take Doggies for Dementia on the road in 2021 and visit others parts of the US.
How have you adjusted to serve families during the pandemic? This has been a challenge.
- 1. I attended a rally and visited with families who had loved ones in long term care (LTC) in lockdown. Their stories are important and we wanted to let the world know about their journey. These stories were more heartbreaking than most of our stories. We blogged, posted photos and posts, and interviewed for our YouTube program.
- 2. We also have a YouTube program called Experts Dig in with Doggies for Dementia and interviewed over 40 experts in the field of dementia-from profess
ionals to families and all in between. Our audience is primarily family caregivers and anyone interested in learning more about dementia care.
- 3. We also kept our social media and blogs going strong with caregiver tips and family stories. We have been a 501c3 nonprofit for about a year, and we worked hard to get the word out about what we do and why it is so important. I have also been a guest on a variety of national and international podcasts, Facebook and YouTube Live programs and magazine articles talking about our program, what it’s like to start a new career at 60 and also to share the families’ stories. Our Board of Directors, also known as our Executive Growth Team and I have worked hard to be ready for when things open and also to recognize the huge challenges facing families during the lockdown.
What is the benefit of including dogs in the photos?
What Inspires Us Every Day?
How A Little Behind the Scenes about the Creation of Doggies for Dementia
How Can You Support Us?
See Part 2!
Sparky certainly contributed inspiration to the formation and growth of Doggies for Dementia Foundation. It happens to be his birthday week. I can’t believe he is SEVEN!
