I want to start this blog by sharing a graphic from a social media post from a wonderful friend and colleague, Nicola Payne: The graphic Nicky shared got me thinking about myself and my friends and family, but also about…
Tag: support
Are you in the 15% or the 85%?
I see a lot of dementia statistics in my work, but none have shocked me more than that which Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) published on 21 September 2022 as they launched their 2022 World Alzheimer’s Report. ADI said: “Up to 85%…
Carers: We are United
Many people find me and my work through searching for individuals with experiences of caring. I’ve always been passionate about sharing what we went through with my dad to help others, mindful that when my dad was alive we never…
10 years of D4Dementia… and 10 years for my dad’s dementia diagnosis
Today marks the 10-year anniversary of my D4Dementia blog. I’m not quite sure where those 10 years have gone, but this is my 270th post with the topics covered ranging from pre-diagnosis to end-of-life care and (almost) everything in-between. I’m…
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…
Supporting a person with dementia to keep busy
In the strange pandemic on/off lockdown world we’ve lived in for the past 18 months, maintaining focus on tasks and activities has, for many people, become really difficult. This isn’t a new feeling for many people with dementia, however, who…
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…
A shrinking world
For the last five months I’ve written about different aspects of the coronavirus pandemic. For August, I want to think about the consequences of the required reduction in social interaction on people with dementia during lockdown. Is it all…
‘Old’ normal, ‘new’ normal or time to make a ‘better’ normal?
For the last four months I’ve written about different aspects of the coronavirus pandemic. For July, I want to think about life post-lockdown and pose these questions: What do we REALLY want ‘normal’ life to look like now? Is a…
Family carers and the coronavirus pandemic
For the last three months I’ve written about different aspects of the coronavirus pandemic. For June, I want to think about how family carers have been affected by lockdown and the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The pandemic has raised so many…
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…
Finding love again
With over 200 blogs on D4Dementia now, some of them approaching 7 years old in May this year, 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…
