Last week was Carers Week, an annual awareness raising campaign that highlights the vital role of people who care, unpaid, for family or friends. Carers Week also aims to promote ways in which carers can be better supported, which is…
Sectioning people with dementia
Over the four years I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve met or been contacted by many families whose loved ones with dementia have been sectioned (detained in hospital without consent under the Mental Health Act). Sometimes the sectioning has occurred…
Why awareness of dementia isn’t enough
Dementia Awareness Week (#DAW2016) is arguably the most dementia-focused week of the year in the UK. It’s a time for launching initiatives, publications, products and services, and for charities, organisations and businesses to raise the profile of their work. Indeed,…
Don’t let the sun go down on me
Of all the words associated with the various symptoms and effects that dementia can have on a person, ‘sundowning’ is one of the most curious. It is a word to describe when a person with dementia becomes more active and/or distressed…
Living with dementia in your own home
Whenever a report on dementia talks about what people with dementia want, enabling the person to remain in their own home for as long as possible usually features pretty highly. A diagnosis of dementia should never mean that you have…