“When was the last time you really engaged with a person living with dementia?” This was a question I posed during a recent online training session I ran with a small group of social care staff. Some of the…
Tag: training
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…
Action for dementia care and support – Changes associated with dementia
Welcome to the last of my five blog posts for UK Dementia Action Week 2018 (DAW2018). This year Dementia Awareness Week is renamed Dementia Action Week to reflect the need for action for people affected by dementia rather than only focusing on awareness. In this…
Action for dementia care and support – Living with dementia
Welcome to the fourth of my five blog posts for UK Dementia Action Week 2018 (DAW2018). This year Dementia Awareness Week is renamed Dementia Action Week to reflect the need for action for people affected by dementia rather than only focusing on awareness. In this…
Action for dementia care and support – Communication and dementia
Welcome to the third of my five blog posts for UK Dementia Action Week 2018 (DAW2018). This year Dementia Awareness Week is renamed Dementia Action Week to reflect the need for action for people affected by dementia rather than only focusing on awareness. In this…
Action for dementia care and support – Being person and relationship centred
Welcome to the second of my five blog posts for UK Dementia Action Week 2018 (DAW2018). This year Dementia Awareness Week is renamed Dementia Action Week to reflect the need for action for people affected by dementia rather than only focusing on awareness. In this…
Action for dementia care and support – The basics of dementia
Welcome to the first of my five blog posts for UK Dementia Action Week 2018 (DAW2018). This year Dementia Awareness Week is renamed Dementia Action Week to reflect the need for action for people affected by dementia rather than only focusing on awareness. In this…
Resolve to embrace human rights
(A note before I begin this blog post: You should not consider anything written in this blog as legal advice for you or anyone you care for). During my dementia training for social care professionals, I ask participants: “Do you…
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…
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…
Supporting a person with anxiety
Anxiety is commonly mentioned as one of a raft of symptoms linked to the development and progression of dementia. It is thought that dementia can both exacerbate anxiety in those who have a history of being anxious, and also bring…
One million friends, but we need specialists too
Like many people who have supported the Dementia Friends initiative, I was delighted to hear the announcement that the target of creating one million Dementia Friends was recently reached. Dementia Friends is the UK Government’s initiative, in partnership with the…