“It’ll all be ok.” A common phrase we all use when we want to reassure someone. However, for people with dementia it’s not always that helpful. Yes, it offers a low-level of verbal reassurance, but that may not be understood, and…
Tag: conversations
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…
Regrets, I’ve had a few…
Listening to the radio recently, Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ came on. These two lines really stood out for me: “Regrets, I’ve had a few. But then again, too few to mention.” They got me thinking, as I so often do…
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…
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…
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…
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…
A precious gift
I’ve often thought about what the most precious gift is that you could give a person with dementia in the absence of a cure. I’ve written before about the importance of love, but I suspect that if I asked a…
Talking about dementia… with your patient
Welcome to the last of my seven ‘mini’ blogs for UK Dementia Awareness Week 2014. Concerns that a person is developing dementia aren’t just restricted to that individual – they also affect those closest to them, bringing complex relationships into play.…
Talking about dementia… with your employee
Welcome to the sixth of my seven ‘mini’ blogs for UK Dementia Awareness Week 2014. Concerns that a person is developing dementia aren’t just restricted to that individual – they also affect those closest to them, bringing complex relationships into…
Talking about dementia… with your neighbour
Welcome to the fifth of my seven ‘mini’ blogs for UK Dementia Awareness Week 2014. Concerns that a person is developing dementia aren’t just restricted to that individual – they also affect those closest to them, bringing complex relationships into…
Talking about dementia… with your friend
Welcome to the fourth of my seven ‘mini’ blogs for UK Dementia Awareness Week 2014. Concerns that a person is developing dementia aren’t just restricted to that individual – they also affect those closest to them, bringing complex relationships into…
