Welcome to 2013, the beginning of another new year and no doubt another set of targets for the tick box culture in health and social care. 2013 promises to be an important time for dementia, with the need to build…
Tag: compassion
Sense and simplicity
One of the many positive things to come out of the increase in dementia awareness is the focus on how we provide the best possible care for people living with dementia. The importance of training for everyone involved in dementia…
My dad
Welcome to my 40th post on D4Dementia. Back when I began this blog I had no idea it would become so successful, widely read and much loved, so I would like to thank each and every one of you for…
So how much do you know about dementia?
Awareness is something that is talked about extensively in healthcare. In fact it is fair to say that those of us working in this field are pretty much obsessed by it. Days or weeks designed to highlight particular conditions are…
What makes a dementia friendly community?
When I last wrote about the UK’s dementia challenge I said that we needed to make our country a place where people who are living with dementia can lead the lives they deserve to, rather than the ones foisted upon…
Ending the ‘chemical cosh’
One of the things I feel most passionately about in dementia care is the inappropriate use of antipsychotic medications. For many years these have been commonplace when doctors, nurses and care professionals have sought to quell the symptoms of dementia…
A sensory journey
In everyday life we can often take being able to see, hear, smell, taste and touch for granted. Senses give context to the mundane, stir our emotions, affect our body language and have the power to make the ordinary, extraordinary.…
Treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself
Ask most people caring for a loved one with dementia what they dread the most, and a common theme will probably be hospital admission. For so many reasons, hospitals and dementia patients are a combination that is fraught with problems,…
How do you make good dementia policy?
Having spent 19-years graduating in dementia, I can honestly say that I think I know dementia pretty well. Its highs and lows, the surprises and quirks, the sadness and pain, and the endless battles you fight for the care your…
End-of-life care: A very personal story
Planting up my father’s grave recently, I found my mind wandering back to our last few days with him, painful in so many ways and yet hugely comforting as well. Nothing is more important to me than knowing that we…