We talk a lot in dementia care about the importance of familiarity, whether it’s achieved through using words or phrases that are familiar to the person, or whether it’s through familiar environments (OWL FM) or familiar items or objects. Familiarity…
Tag: environment
Resolve to be a dementia environment champion
As we come to the end of a year that has again been extremely challenging, many families with loved ones who are living with dementia may be wondering what they can do to make a tangible difference to their relative’s…
Five things I’m glad we bought my dad
A question I’m often asked is what would I recommend buying a person with dementia? This has become even more pertinent with so many family members unable to see relatives with dementia during the pandemic, and looking for ideas of…
Living with dementia – It’s not postponed!
For the last two months I’ve written about the coronavirus pandemic. I want to continue with this theme since it is at the forefront of all of our minds, but also with a little nod to the significance of this month…
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…
Resolve to ask people with dementia what THEY want
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…
The private world of incontinence
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…
Home sweet home
I seem to have found myself quoting a particular statistic so much in the last few weeks that it is now imprinted in my mind: Alzheimer’s Society: Fix Dementia Care Homecare report I include this stat in my dementia training…
Why culture matters in dementia care
Last month 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…
When behaviour changes…
Last week I began a series of roundtable sessions with the staff of one of my social care consultancy clients looking at changed behaviour for people who are living with dementia. The topics for discussion are pretty diverse, everything from…
The failure of post-diagnosis support
It’s not often that the content of TV programmes stays with me, but the recent BBC ‘Hospital’ series, following the fortunes of patients and staff at Imperial Trust’s hospitals in London, and ‘Granddad, dementia and me’ that I wrote about…
When losing, hiding or hoarding items becomes a problem
In May 2013 I wrote a blog post entitled ‘What is dementia?’ about the symptoms of dementia. I wanted to explore the different ways in which a person’s dementia might manifest itself to reinforce the message that dementia isn’t all…
How dementia and personality interact
We talk A LOT in dementia care about how dementia changes a person. Often it’s distilled down into very negative language, and bracketed as ‘challenging behaviour’ (a phrase I dislike immensely). Yet, the spectrum of change is immense, very personal…
