Meet the founder of Sunshine Dementia
My Background
Hello there! I am Soham Shah, the founder and CEO of Sunshine Dementia, and I am currently a senior at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy. I live in West Melbourne, Florida, with my Dad, Mom and Grandfather.
At the age of 8, I started to see some changes in my Grandmother after her life-threatening colon cancer surgery. My grandmother was a double master's graduate with a mighty brain. Seeing her cognitive skills diminish was shocking to me. Since then, I have tried to learn all about dementia and how it affects my grandmother. Unfortunately, she is no longer with us and has peacefully ended her journey after going through dementia.
Using this platform, I would love to share my experience with the global community on the disease and what we can do to make life better in a small way for our loved ones who are going through this challenge!
My Journey
Initially, my journey with my grandma's dementia resulted in me getting easily annoyed. Later, I started to appreciate the time I had left with her, and this feeling started to diminish. My grandma and I partook in board games, drawing, and puzzles. Each time we had a new adventure to partake in. Taking care of my grandma was one of the most challenging and rewarding times of my life. Now, I want to spread the same message of investing time with the elderly in order to help them. For almost our whole lives, our parents and grandparents have taken care of us. Now, it is time to return the favor and take care of them. Sunshine Dementia is the first step.
My Approach
Ever since 9th grade, I have volunteered at Inspiritas of West Melbourne. Here, I have worked with over 200 dementia patients throughout my tenure, and, overall, I have helped around 1000+ patients with this platform. When I started, I thought I would have little to no impact; however, it amazes me to see how many patients remember me interact with me despite the age difference. For my approach, I prioritize providing positivity into a patient's life. My mentality is to treat the patients if they were like my own grandparents. Making treats like cotton candy and drawing henna tattoos not only provide happiness to patients, but these activities also provide happiness to me.