Unfortunately, it is a widespread myth that dementia is a consequence of old age. I am an example of how this is not the case. My name is Pia and I am 60 years old. I was diagnosed with Alzheimer's dementia four years ago. It is an early age to get a fatal disease, but it is not unique, my younger sister, who is 53 years old, has also been diagnosed. I currently live by myself in a house in Aarhus. My son lives in Barcelona, and my daughter is in the process of setting up her new life in Copenhagen. When I received the diagnosis, my boyfriend left and I was fired from my beloved job. It was very hard to cope with, and to recognise as my life. How to create meaning, when you lose your identity and your everyday life? I have been a high school teacher throughout my working life, and in this way, I have made a difference to many people. I taught visual arts and design. After the diagnosis, my employer wanted someone who could work full-time, so I was fired, because I wasn’t able to do that.
The part-time jobs that the municipality offer are almost exclusively targeted at unskilled people, but what I need is to contribute as what I have been educated and trained to be, a teacher. And I need a job in which I feel I can contribute and create something for society and other people. It is a shame and it makes me very sad that there are no meaningful employment offers for people with early-onset dementia who have a long-term education. It is very important to have a job that is meaningful. It creates meaning in an existence where one can quickly lose perspective and the joy of living. This problem will only grow in the future as more people will be diagnosed earlier. Therefore, I would like to make a call for politicians to create space and opportunities in the job market for people with dementia at working age, with any level of education. An opportunity like this would have enabled me to maintain my job and my identity as a college teacher, and to feel that I am still a person of value, instead of being someone with a diagnosis of dementia who is a burden, both for society and my relatives. I remain hopeful that this will happen, but after four years, in which I have applied for jobs as a teacher and have been rejected because of my diagnosis, hope is fading.
