This morning I spoke at a conference on the importance of knowing the person. My audience was predominately social care providers. My remit was to focus on real lives, drawing on my experiences of care in terms of the importance…
Tag: care homes
Don’t let the sun go down on me
Of all the words associated with the various symptoms and effects that dementia can have on a person, ‘sundowning’ is one of the most curious. It is a word to describe when a person with dementia becomes more active and/or distressed…
Why activity is everyone’s business
Go into most care homes and you will see a familiar array of staff, from carers to chefs, housekeepers to maintenance personnel. A role you will also often encounter is that of an ‘activity coordinator’. All of my dad’s three…
Doll therapy – Disrespectful or comforting?
One of the most controversial non-drug therapies for people with dementia is doll therapy. Before the work I do now, I knew this not as a ‘therapy’ but as the lady in my dad’s care home who occupied the room…
When concentration becomes difficult
I suspect that from time to time most of us lose our focus on a task, object, TV programme, person or other aspect of our life that momentarily requires us to put aside all other thoughts and images to ensure…
