Making Connections

Hello, Dementia Advocates in Japan.

My name is Emily Ong, and I am a dementia advocate from Singapore.

I worked as a learning consultant in special needs education before my diagnosis of young-onset dementia in 2017.

I started to get involved in advocacy work in 2019 after I met with a few individuals living with young-onset dementia under the Voices for Hope program by Dementia Singapore.

As an educator, dementia education and training are a top priority in my advocacy work.

Hence, I started a Facebook Page: Living with mild cognitive impairment and YOD, in 2019 to improve the knowledge and understanding of dementia of the general public through my lived experience.

Since then, I have moved on to advocate at local, national, regional, and global levels.

I want people to feel comfortable talking about dementia and nothing to feel ashamed about living with the condition.

The person diagnosed with dementia, no matter whether they are a younger or older person, should be treated with respect and dignity.

A diagnosis does not mean you become dependable on others and lose all your abilities overnight. You are still who you are, and the diagnosis is to help you better understand the gradual changes

You are still you, and everyone is unique, even when we share the same diagnosis.

Continue to feel good about yourself and have a daily purpose to stay motivated.

I would like to know you too so that I have friends with dementia in Japan.

We can share our life stories; we can go on Zoom to have a chat, and we can support each other in our advocacy work. We can use DeepL Translate or Google Translate, and language should not be a barrier to connection*. I look forward to hearing from you.

Emily Ong

*Her E-mail address is written on the image (photo).