Tommy dunne

On Tuesday the 7th of November, I travelled up to Liverpool to interview Tommy Dunne at his local weekly ‘Dementia support group’. My interview with Tommy can only be described as valuable. Tommy is now what I class a good friend, and he has opened my eyes to what living with dementia can really be like for someone. At first glance, I would have never guessed he was living with early onset dementia but it just shows that you can never judge a book by its covers, as you would never be able to guess someone is living with depression. His calming and confident demeanour allowed me to gain a deeper understanding, as I felt confident to ask questions that I feared to ask, due to not wanting to come across as ignorant. Tommy kindly expressed that he feels like the main issue with people today is they have an image of what dementia is and how people are that are living with it and that is all they see. “The main issue of dementia isn’t the disability but the taboo that comes along with it”.

                                                                                                   

 A lot of the media portrayal of dementia has been argued to be negative, as many of the documentaries I have watched have portrayed people living with dementia as frail and depressing, to say the least. Which to a degree it has served a purpose as if I hadn't watched them I never would have been inspired to come up with this documentary. However, accuracy is a problem. Yes, dementia affects everyone differently, to some, it has a greater impact and they are left with a deeper side effect such as lack of energy. However, that is not the case for some, and Tommy stated that sometimes people speak on behalf of people with dementia due to their own awkwardness. Families and friends are very sensitive to the situation (which is completely understandable), but what they need to remember that, sometimes challenging that person to tend for themselves is actually more beneficial than expected.

 

Tommy is a prime example of carpe diem and is an enthusiast about what his future holds. His kind and open manner have given him the confidence to travel the U.K. delivering speeches, which resulted in him presenting in front of Prince Charles. Tommy is without a doubt, the reason why I am doing this documentary and am so pleased I found him on Twitter.