The experts by experience consulted by decision-makers and included in co-produced training are often relatively young, articulate and in the earliest stages of dementa or related conditions. However the individual with dementia on our caseload can teach us a lot about how best to support them - if we learn to really listen to them.
We long to go home. Home - to that place where everything makes sense. But in dementia, things are increasingly not making sense...
The benefits of going virtual When I started training for Understanding Dementia, it was mostly one-off face-to-face sessions delivered to teams or groups. A half-day training would give a good…
For those who need care, communicating their basic needs can be difficult. Perhaps we should include this issue in health and social care training. We could encourage care workers to listen for unusual lavatorial lingo…
It seems it's worth buying equipment that nobody uses in the name of Dementia Friendliness, but too expensive to replace a broken and unsuitable lock on a frequently-used toilet in a 'Dementia Friendly' ward...
The Alzheimer’s Society doesn't call Dementia Friends Information Sessions ‘training’, but there is a lot of misunderstanding. Several health and care professionals have told me that registering with Dementia Friends has made training unnecessary.
Many so-called ‘behaviours that challenge’ may simply be normal responses to challenging situations. The behaviour may not be the real problem, but it may indicate underlying distress. That’s what we should be trying to ‘manage’.
Well-being in dementia is precious and vulnerable, but once we understand the precise nature of the threats posed by dementia, we can learn how promote, protect and restore well-being, even as dementia progresses.
People often ask which activities work best for people with dementia, but it’s not so much what you do, but how you do it that makes the most difference to their well-being.
If a parent with dementia doesn’t recognise you, it doesn’t mean they don’t love you. Pointing out their mistake can make things worse, and there are better ways to show you care.
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