| Australian men are so lucky when their short term | | | | that Australia is not alone with this problem. |
| memory fails. All they have to remember is to call any | | | | One of the interesting ideas put forward has been |
| male they are talking to "Mate". This 'mate ship' is a | | | | separate facilities for younger patients. Now we all |
| well-respected foundation to the Australian way of life | | | | know that there are far too many young, brain-injured |
| but now that there are so many 'baby boomer's' being | | | | accident victims in our communities somewhere, but |
| let loose on the Bowling Clubs around the country, the | | | | should they have their own 'younger' people's mental |
| term is adopting a whole new usage. | | | | care facilities or not? These people have been injured |
| When women suffer the same momentary loss of | | | | through accident and not deliberate self-harm, but |
| short term memory when speaking with other women, | | | | none-the-less they are still brain damaged and |
| they usually cover the lapse with "Dear" so it only | | | | severely incapacitated. I believe that there are definitely |
| sounds like what has actually happened and they are | | | | some who are fully comprehending but unable to |
| not yet quite ready to be sent off to the knackery or | | | | communicate. I am not a medical person so I don't |
| wherever it is these days they place the old and | | | | know for sure but going on percentages, I'd say it was |
| forgetful work horses. | | | | highly possible. |
| So the Australian Bowling clubs tend to have a lot of | | | | The next interesting question is if they don't have |
| people playing spirited games of outdoor bowls by | | | | these facilities provided for them, is combining the older |
| people who are called "Mate" and "Dear". Yet they are | | | | and frailer mentally incapacitated people with physically |
| really all dear mates anyway and the clubs are | | | | strong, mentally ill patients, good for either population |
| well-balanced by a serious number of younger players | | | | group? Or could it be of benefit to both groups? |
| to look after their dear mates. | | | | Frankly, I'm simply glad not to be a medical person |
| But it does raise the serious question of short term | | | | (either professional or patient~yet!) to have to make |
| memory loss over the longer term and in some | | | | these decisions. |
| situations when people need to have all their wits | | | | Sooner rather than later though, someone, somewhere; |
| about them? This is fast becoming a major mental | | | | is going to have to start making these hard decisions |
| health problem for Australians and with the increase in | | | | and backing them up with real money to provide better |
| baby boomer numbers and these numbers being | | | | than the semi-adequate care currently available here in |
| exacerbated by long-term drug users who have fried | | | | Australia today. Now Dear, if only I could remember |
| and muddled their brains, the question of what to do | | | | what started me off on this rant... |
| with them is becoming quite a problem, and I'm sure | | | | |