Given our aversion to talking about death and dying, the idea of a good end-of-life isn’t something that has been widely debated. Yet for people who are diagnosed with a terminal disease, like dementia, knowing what would represent a good end…
Tag: care at home
Keep the faith
One of the first things to become bypassed in someone’s life as their dementia progresses and they become more reliant on social care can be their faith, beliefs or spirituality. This is often as a result of professionals caring for…
A sense of achievement
One of the most pervasive beliefs about dementia is that people living with it cannot achieve anything. For many the onset of living with dementia can signal the end of aspects of their life that represent the very foundations of…
An urgent need to understand
There are a few ‘taboo’ subjects in dementia care. Taboo because we find them embarrassing, too personal or just uncomfortable to even consider. Continence is one of them. Dementia isn’t a disease that respects the delicate workings of the bladder…
Hydrated and happy
Dehydration is one of the biggest challenges facing anyone caring for someone who is older or living with dementia. Many older people are known to be chronically short of fluid in their bodies, leading to urinary tract infections and many…
In sickness and in health
Through my work I am very privileged to meet and chat with people whose day-to-day life revolves around caring for someone with dementia or living with it themselves. Why ‘privileged’ you might wonder? Simply because having walked this path with…
Christmases past and present
I think for most people Christmas is about the many traditions we each have for celebrating the festive season. For the last nine years our family traditions were modified to fit in with my dad’s life in care – this…
Be inspired, be very inspired
There is something that touches your soul when you hear the individual stories of how people care for those they love the most. Families often make such huge sacrifices in these circumstances, completely altering the plans and lives they once…
The carer’s job description
If you had to be isolated, unsupported and fight the system, would you apply to be an unpaid carer? This is not a position that fills you with hope for the future, gives you room for personal development, or brings…
Continuity is key
Last week a story hit the headlines about how Jeanette Maitland’s husband Ken, who was living with dementia, had been given 106 different carers during the last year of his life. Mr Maitland, from Aberdeen, had been allocated two carers…