Happy World Oceans Day! And what, you may well ask, has this to do with dementia? … All shall be revealed in this very blog post…
Whitehaven Beach, the Whitsundays, Australia
Today is World Oceans Day and as such we take a sneak peak into the deep blue stuff that covers most of the planet we live on. Oceans are in need of some TLC themselves. Litter in our seas is fast becoming a horror story. Studies published by the National Academy of Sciences, found that nearly 60% of all sea bird species studied so far have had plastic in their gut. You can read more about this here. Surprising are the following facts that: In 1960, plastic was found in the stomachs of less than 5% of sea birds, but by 2010 this had risen to 80%. We predict that by 2050, 99% of the world’s sea bird species will be accidentally eating plastic, unless we take action to clean up the oceans. In 1960, plastic was found in the stomachs of less than 5% of sea birds, but by 2010 this had risen to 80%. We predict that by 2050, 99% of the world’s sea bird species will be accidentally eating plastic, unless we take action to clean up the oceans.
Sea bird remains with plastic in the gut
We at the DC are obsessed with recycling. We try to prevent as much rubbish as possible ending up in our waterways. Rubbish going to landfill (that’s regular rubbish we throw into the bin) often ends up in waterways and oceans by mistake. It is often the case in London that urban foxes empty out outdoor bins at night and the rubbish lay strewn on tow paths and near dockland areas which ends up in the river Thames and flows out to sea. A serious and nasty business. Ideally there’d be closed recycling bins on the street for us to put plastics and the other likes that don’t rot down, into. Sadly, this is just a dream at the moment. What we can do is try to take litter home and use domestic recycling which is collected up and down the UK…hurrah! If you navigate to your local council’s website you can order recycling bags and boxes for free. No one in your household done that yet? -You can be the first one! Yay!
Still waiting for this post to relate to dementia? Well, remember our post where we chatted through what can help to make those with dementia feel ‘useful’? (If not, you can read it here) Sorting socks was one of the initiatives recommended by the Virtual Dementia Tour Experience. But feast your eyes on this little beauty…
Recycling
How about sorting through recycling? In London we are provided with plastic bags and everything gets thrown in together. The ideal is that plastic cartons are rinsed out, the tops of tin cans are always fully removed to prevent urban foxes cutting their noses on them if they do rummage through the litter and plastic multi-pack can joiners are cut to prevent birds becoming trapped in them. However, all areas of the UK are different, some areas take recycling split up into different boxes etc. Some take no glass at all (shocking) so glass bottles can be rinsed and taken to bottle banks. This entire process is a delight for someone with dementia. Get them to help with the sorting, rinsing out containers and putting them in piles where they are the same item. Cans, plastics, paper. And why not even take a trip out by car or on foot to take any items that may not be collected eg glass, to your local bottle bank. Saving the oceans, wildlife, helping loved ones with dementia feel useful and getting much needed exercise. Exercise can help prevent the progression of dementia, and we all want that! Let’s get walking.
Happy world oceans day to you all! Thank you for reading!
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