September 2017 saw the launch of the Dementia Action Alliance’s (DAA) ‘From Seldom Heard to Seen and Heard’ Campaign. The campaign focuses on people living with dementia and their families from six communities who are often marginalised from services and…
Tag: dementia friendly communities
The dementia-friendly shopping experience
One of the most extraordinary comments I heard in the wake of Alzheimer’s Society launching their guide to becoming a dementia-friendly retailer was from a shopkeeper who said: “Why on earth do I need to make my shop dementia-friendly? Dementia…
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…
Fixing dementia care in hospitals
Standards of hospital care for people with dementia made the news last week, with an investigation by the Alzheimer’s Society showing shocking variations in the quality of care being given, prompting the charity to launch their ‘Fix Dementia Care’ campaign. Given…
Holiday season
August in the UK is traditionally seen as the holiday month. Apart from the fact that most families with school-age children are restricted to holidaying at this time of year due to education regulations, there seems to be a mass…
One million friends, but we need specialists too
Like many people who have supported the Dementia Friends initiative, I was delighted to hear the announcement that the target of creating one million Dementia Friends was recently reached. Dementia Friends is the UK Government’s initiative, in partnership with the…
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…
Join the debate
Back at the start of 2013 I published a blog detailing My Dementia Wish List for the year. Ten months later seems an appropriate time to revisit some of these goals and, looking forward to the G8 Dementia Summit in…
Reaching for the stars
It seems very appropriate that today, on World Alzheimer’s Day and Dementia Awareness Day (DAD), I’m doing a Memory Walk for Alzheimer’s Society, hoping that memories of my dad will give me lots of inspiration and strength for the 10km. Sometimes…
Getting technical
How many times have you forgotten your pin number or tried to work out what an abbreviation in a text message means? How often have you cursed technology for presenting you with what appears to be an insurmountable problem, declaring…
Part 2) When a label isn’t enough
***This is a two part blog post*** Please read: Part 1) When a label isn’t enough Regardless of how much the government needs clear statistics of exactly how many people have dementia in the UK, presumably so that they can…
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…
