What is your Super Why?

…and how you can find it through Dementia Friends Ohio?

By Bonnie Burman

I have recently started working out (semi)regularly at our local fitness center. The other day, Grant, the person who has been helping me establish my exercise routine, asked me a question that stopped me in my tracks. We had been talking about my goals and what I wanted to work on during my fitness journey and I guess I gave some pretty standard answers:

“I want to improve my balance to prevent falls; I want to strengthen my core; and I want to be healthier to keep up with my grandchildren.”

But from Grant, my answers drew silence. He looked at me and just said, “No, what I REALLY want to know is what is your SUPER WHY!”

My immediate response was “Is that a thing?”

He explained to me, in quite an energetic tone, that “yes”, your SUPER WHY is the underlying passion you must be in touch with when you want to do something, or try something new, or solve a problem. He explained that it’s not just about the immediate outcome you seek but that SUPER WHY has to do with the overall, long-term change and deeper impact you desire; for long-term change you need knowledge.

I loved the concept and, of course, went right home and made myself a SUPER WHY cape.

Once I donned the cape, I realized that Grant’s question was even more profound. Yes, he was asking me what my SUPER WHY was, but at the same time he was asking, what do you need to be a SUPER YOU?”

I immediately thought about how we might apply these questions here at the Ohio Council for Cognitive Health as we work to help those impacted by dementia live with meaning, purpose, and joy.

What do people need to be their most SUPER SELF when it comes to caring for and about those living with dementia?

What is our SUPER WHY?

So, I wore my trusty SUPER WHY cape to my next two Dementia Friends Ohio sessions. And after each one, I first explained the concept and then asked participants, “What is your SUPER WHY and what do you want to do with the information you have learned?”

It turned out that most of the people in the first group, which consisted of care partners, had vastly different SUPER WHYS (The clear favorite was “I want to be a better wife.”)

But after asking the same question at the other session which consisted of folks from a specific business sector, I learned that certain professional groups or sectors actually share similar SUPER WHYS since they share a joint mission. While each individual has their own goals based on their current needs and future hopes, what we quickly learned was that there were certain clusters of SUPER WHYS among groups of people with common business interests or life experiences. Similar cultural groups meant similar kinds of SUPER WHYS as well. I could feel that we were on to something, but what?

I was left with a conundrum. How could one program address so many different needs and desires? I was gifted a wonderful answer to this question when a gentleman from the tech industry saved the day. (I think he might have been a superhero!) He explained to us that we should see the Dementia Friends Program as a platform, kind of like a smart phone. After the blank stares registered with him, he took out his phone, put it on the table and explained it was really just a platform that we each make our own to serve our individual needs by adding apps and sites etc. In other words, the platform serves as the base and it opens the door for us to create our own product.

At that point I got it! I realized that our basic Dementia Friends Ohio program is a wonderful platform which we can then personalize or add “apps” to make it satisfy or respond to each of our SUPER WHYS.

Once I got home, I went right to my white board and sketched this approach out and realized this was the perfect analogy for how we are currently using Dementia Friends Ohio. We just never had the great term for it before. We are creating a platform that can be easily adaptable to all sorts of different situations and needs.

For example, so far, we have developed Dementia Friends Ohio programs to meet the specialized needs of Veterans; those living with Developmental Disabilities; and those living alone with dementia. We have also added unique presentations specific business sectors including librarians, financial planners and attorneys. We are in the process of creating specific Dementia Friends Ohio programs for guardians and the faith community as well.

The sky is the limit when it comes to incorporating SUPER WHYS into actionable resources! Look for us to showcase all of these sessions (and more!) in the near future.

What is my SUPER WHY?

The other day following another small group Dementia Friends Ohio Program, a participant in the back raised his hand and turned the tables on me and asked, “Dr. Burman, what is your SUPER WHY? Why are you doing this?” He wasn’t referring directly to the Dementia Friends Ohio program. Instead, he was asking “why am I part of the Ohio Council for Cognitive Health. What do I really want to achieve?” What a great question!

My mind kept circling back to the last of the five key messages in Dementia Friends Ohio—that “there is more to the person than the dementia and that people with dementia are a valuable part of the community” and I responded that my “SUPER WHY” is boldly stated in our tag line. I want to help people impacted by dementia find meaning, purpose, and joy even as their abilities change. And right then and there, thanks to the encouragement of my fellow Dementia Friends, we decided to create a new “app” or session to accompany or follow our Dementia Friends program that focuses on finding, retaining, or regaining meaning and purpose. This session will be based on the section of our website entitled The Power of Purpose.

And, so I leave you with the question I was asked:

“What is your SUPER WHY and how can we help you achieve it?”

Please let us know, and we will do our best to make sure we create the right app for you. Who knows… you may even get your very own cape!

Bonnie