With the UK summertime in full swing and COVID restrictions having eased, many people are meeting up with friends and family who they haven’t seen for a long time. For most people these will be joyous, emotional reunions that are…
Tag: communication
Making meaningful conversation
“When was the last time you really engaged with a person living with dementia?” This was a question I posed during a recent online training session I ran with a small group of social care staff. Some of the…
Coronavirus and being isolated from a loved one
Last month I wrote about the coronavirus pandemic and answered two questions families supporting a loved one are grappling with: How do we hand-wash more and how do we self-isolate? For families who aren’t in the same household, however, they…
Being a good listener
With over 200 blogs on D4Dementia, some of them now 7 years old, I’ve decided to spend my 2019 year of blogging by re-visiting some of the topics I’ve covered previously, throwing fresh light on why they remain relevant and…
Communication – It’s more than just words
With over 200 blogs on D4Dementia now, some of them approaching 7 years old in May this year, I’ve decided to spend my 2019 year of blogging by re-visiting some of the topics I’ve covered previously, throwing fresh light on…
Action for dementia care and support – Communication and dementia
Welcome to the third of my five blog posts for UK Dementia Action Week 2018 (DAW2018). This year Dementia Awareness Week is renamed Dementia Action Week to reflect the need for action for people affected by dementia rather than only focusing on awareness. In this…
Without a song or dance, what are we?
One of the first blogs I ever wrote on D4Dementia, back in May 2012, was about music for people with dementia. It charted my dad’s love of music, how it became a vital communication tool in the latter years of…
Delivering a dementia diagnosis
There are many times in a person’s life with dementia that are described as pivotal. Often these are the difficult, crisis occasions that create the negative narrative that is so commonly associated with dementia. But after my recent personal experiences…
The art of gentleness
Earlier this month I found myself in the honoured position of being a judge for a care awards event. As judges we had six categories to review, and there were some amazing testimonies of the care and support dedicated social…
Supporting a person with anxiety
Anxiety is commonly mentioned as one of a raft of symptoms linked to the development and progression of dementia. It is thought that dementia can both exacerbate anxiety in those who have a history of being anxious, and also bring…
Repetition, repetition, repetition
One of the symptoms of dementia that those around the person with dementia find most difficult to cope with is repetition. Families and professionals alike often express frustration, leading onto exasperation, which often ends in irritation and possibly even an…
Terms of endearment – The ‘darling’ debate
A couple of months ago the Care Quality Commission (CQC) released a report detailing an inspection of a care home in Harrogate where the language used by staff when communicating with residents came under the spotlight. Care home staff had…
Think about the ‘Dementia Words’ that you use
As this year’s Dementia Awareness Week rapidly approaches (17-23 May), I anticipate that there will be a surge in coverage related to dementia in the UK. Indeed, it was the start of Dementia Awareness Week in May 2012 that saw…