When I last wrote about social care funding (Why are we waiting?), I implored our policy makers to produce a workable solution to end the uncertainty many people face about how they will pay for care. The recent announcement by…
Tag: end-of-life
Don’t ignore me
Everyone with dementia has the right to expression, yet a lot of dementia care still focuses on imposing the will of the care provider on the person, rather than assessing what the person themselves actually wants. Even people with an…
When illness strikes…
Dementia brings so many concerns for the wellbeing of those who are living with it, not least the risk posed by infections. Whenever my father was struck down by a bug, suddenly we would be plunged into a world of…
Hard to swallow
Something that is sadly very common in advanced dementia is the decline of the swallowing reflex. The condition, known as dysphagia, is extremely distressing for both the person affected and those caring for them, and can be fatal, either directly…
End-of-life care: A very personal story
Planting up my father’s grave recently, I found my mind wandering back to our last few days with him, painful in so many ways and yet hugely comforting as well. Nothing is more important to me than knowing that we…
