Social media often gets a bad press, sometimes justifiably so, but it can be an amazing place to connect with people who share our views and experiences too. Something came my way last week that fits into that positive category…
Tag: ageing
Intergenerational lessons from the (home education) classroom
I’m probably going to put myself into a very small group of parents with my opening comment for this blog, but I’m so glad I’ve had the chance to home school our daughter. Whilst I know many parents have struggled…
Demanding better for people with dementia
Ordinarily, September is dominated for me by World Alzheimer’s Month (or World Dementia Month as I prefer to call it), which in practice means 30 days of sharing all of the great content, ideas and initiatives that lots of fantastic…
Resolve to tackle loneliness
“It’ll be lonely this Christmas Without you to hold It’ll be lonely this Christmas Lonely and cold.” So sang English glam rock band Mud (in the style of Elvis Presley) to top the UK singles chart in 1974, selling over…
Bringing the generations together
There have been few documentaries I’ve enjoyed as much as Channel 4’s ‘Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds’. For me it ticked every box – it featured some amazing older people (the oldest was 102) and pre-school children (the…
Why are you a carer?
On the face of it this is a really simple question, yet it is one that can generate so much discussion. It’s something I’ve been asked a lot in the last few years in the context of, “Why did you…
Reframing the reporting about violent older people in hospitals
Recently the BBC ran a story that over 75’s are responsible for 57% of physical assaults on NHS staff in hospitals. These assaults range from biting and pinching through to some of the most serious attacks that are recorded. In…
Care and support in the post-Brexit landscape
Mostly I love social media and its ability to give ‘real time’ reaction to news and events, but I have to say that I didn’t enjoy the negativity I saw this morning following the decision of the majority of the…
Older carers – Isolated and forgotten
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…
Finding the value in every generation
Prior to becoming a mum, I wrote extensively about my experiences of caring for my dad. In many ways those experiences were a unique preparation for parenthood. Not in a disrespectful way – I never viewed my dad as a…
B for Burden?
I vividly remember as a child the first major bereavement in my life. The sudden death of my maternal grandmother came as a huge shock to my whole family and left my mother utterly devastated. As a small child I…
On the move
For everyone who is fortunate enough to be able to move around independently, I would estimate that most take that for granted. Likewise, I would suggest that one of the key ideas people have about ageing is that immobility is…
Your voice
Sometimes I meet people who seem genuinely perplexed by my passion for the work that I do. Trying to convey the warmth and genuine love I have for my vocation isn’t always easy, particularly amongst those with very negative viewpoints of…