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…
Tag: hospitals
Reframing the reporting about violent older people in hospitals
Recently the BBC ran a story that over 75’s are responsible for 57% of physical assaults on NHS staff in hospitals. These assaults range from biting and pinching through to some of the most serious attacks that are recorded. In…
Sectioning people with dementia
Over the four years I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve met or been contacted by many families whose loved ones with dementia have been sectioned (detained in hospital without consent under the Mental Health Act). Sometimes the sectioning has occurred…
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…
Taking stock
Last weekend marked the 3rd anniversary of my dad’s death. Alongside remembering that immensely sad day, it also prompted a lot of reflection, both personally about dad’s life and the gap he has left behind, but also more generally about…
Dehumanisation in hospitals
I have many personal dislikes to language used in relation to older people or people who are living with dementia, but a particular phrase is the subject of this blog mostly because I think it says a huge amount about…
The ‘F’ word that no one wants to hear
Most older people are frightened of having them, most relatives of those older people are equally concerned by them, and most health and social care services are under pressure to avoid those in their care having them. Falls really are…
Troubleshooting checklist
Advanced dementia brings many challenges for the person living with it and also their family and carer(s). Not only can you often feel like you need to be a bit of a detective for your loved one (as I described…
Being a pain detective
One of the questions I’m asked a lot in relation to dementia care is around how we find out if someone is in pain. In advanced dementia, when potentially a person cannot articulate clearly if they are in pain, and…
On the move
For everyone who is fortunate enough to be able to move around independently, I would estimate that most take that for granted. Likewise, I would suggest that one of the key ideas people have about ageing is that immobility is…
Why, oh why, oh why?
Incensed. Appalled. Outraged. Indeed there are a plethora of words to describe how I felt on hearing reports of a rise in suspected cases of elder abuse in England, but I’m not sure any of them accurately do my feelings…
Diagnosis – The day and the aftermath
Given that dementia is one of the most feared, if indeed not THE most feared disease in the UK and beyond, you could probably turn the moment of diagnosis (worldwide a new diagnosis of dementia is made every four seconds)…
Restraints – The dark side of care?
“They kick, punch and bite us, what do you expect us to do?” The words of a social care worker caring for people in a residential dementia unit, explaining why they sometimes have to physically restrain their residents or request…
