If there is one thing that everyone in social care is acutely aware of currently it would be the recruitment and retention crisis. People who need support and their families are suffering due to the workforce crisis, staff are being…
Tag: education
Something to shout about for dementia carers
It’s often been said that knowledge is power, and I’ve always advocated that’s never been more true than for unpaid family carers. I’ve frequently thought it quite crazy that as a society we expect/accept/encourage family members, friends and neighbours to…
It’s time to change the record
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…
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…
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…
Knowledge is power
One of the loveliest parts of my work is being able to help people by sharing our experiences as a family, augmented by what I have learnt from my campaigning and consultancy in the 8+ years since my dad died.…
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…
Bothered and bewildered by the portrayal of dementia
The portrayal of dementia on TV and in the arts has undoubtedly risen since my dad was living with dementia. From major soaps to numerous stage plays, dementia – it seems – is popular subject matter. I’m not against portraying…
A celebration of what is possible
As another September brings World Alzheimer’s Month, there is always the temptation to write a blog that points out how much we still need to do to improve awareness, care and support for people who are living with dementia and…
The forgotten workforce
In all of the meetings I’ve attended about unpaid carers in the 6+ years since my own caring role for my dad ended, the most common themes have been: A) How do we identify carers? And B) How do we…
Co-production in health and social care – It really isn’t rocket science
Last week was the first ever National Co-production Week, identified on twitter as #CoProWeek. Organised by the Social Care Institute for Excellence, the creation of this awareness raising week marks an important milestone in recognising that if you work in health or…
Dementia takes… and dementia gives
The start of a new year is a time that many people find themselves in a reflective mood, and I have more cause than most to feel that way as 2016 kicks off. As some readers may know if they follow…
Why don’t we listen to people with dementia?
Before I get into the substance behind the title I’ve chosen for this blog post, I first want to acknowledge that there are organisations who do listen to people with dementia, and organisations exclusively made up of people with dementia…
