As members of Dementia Action Alliance we endorse the work of the Alliance and its stand on improving life for all people with dementia. Have you signed up to the National Dementia Declaration? You can show how your practice and your plans for the future will help people with dementia live the best lives they can. We can all play a part in making these ambitions a reality, organisations large and small and individuals too.
Prescribing art for older people
January 23rd, 2013One project in Dulwich which since 2005 has been bringing people together to share art and much much more. http://www.guardian.co.uk/healthcare-network/2013/jan/08/prescribing-art-older-people?CMP=twt_gu
National Council for Palliative Care – How do I Know? What can I Do?
December 20th, 2012A new guide for carers which provides advice on how to help with pain and distress in people with dementia, has been published by NCPC as part of the Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge.
‘How would I know’ offers a range of top tips to help carers and health and care professionals identify whether someone with dementia may be in pain or distress, advice on what may be causing this and a range of possible solutions. It follows on from NCPC’s 2011 publication, Difficult Conversations for dementia, which provides advice on how to talk to people with dementia about their end of life wishes.
Simon Chapman, Director of Policy and Parliamentary Affairs at the National Council for Palliative Care said:
“When people with advanced dementia experience pain or distress they may behave in ways that people caring for them find difficult to cope with, and also find it hard to say what is troubling them. This is why it is so important to know how to spot signs of pain or distress and what can be done to help them. With almost half of us having a close friend or family member with dementia we really hope that this new guide provides valuable assistance.”
Alistair Burns, the National Clinical Director for Dementia said:
“Too often pain or distress in people with dementia may be overlooked or viewed as an unavoidable part of their illness rather than something that can be alleviated. This excellent new guide from the National Council for Palliative Care will be incredibly helpful in helping people to better understand the realities of living with and caring for somebody with dementia”.
You can download the leaflet here and stocks will be available to buy from shop.ncpc.org.uk.
Season’s Greetings
December 18th, 2012Dementia web and Guideposts Trust staff would like to take this opportunity to wish all our site visitors Season’s Greetings and best wishes for the New Year.
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Surviving Christmas
December 6th, 2012This time of the year can bring added pressures to someone who is caring for a family member with dementia.
Top tips to consider for your Christmas survival plan.
http://alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=2085
National Dementia Congress – listening to the steady voices
November 2nd, 2012Brighton was the venue for this year’s UK Dementia Congress. The Congress is an opportunity for like-minded people to come together, to reflect on their practice and ideas and have confirmation that what they are doing is in line with their colleagues and the latest thinking.
Everyone spoke from the heart about their concerns, expectations, disappointments and triumphs. People were there because they believe in what they do, they think, they care and they act. If only everyone was there who needs to hear the messages; the voice of the person with dementia, the voice of the family carer, the voice of the empassioned individuals who are all challenging our pre-conceptions. Everyone who has contact with people with dementia and family members should have had a seat in that conference hall.
Without doubt the steady voices of people personally affected are the voices we must listen to.
As Christopher Devas, a person with dementia said, “Stand up, speak up and join in.” He said that having a positive attitude is essential.
Peter Watson, who cares for his wife, said that if he isn’t careful be could be turned into another “patient” along with his wife. He said that there is very little education about how to be a carer.
Trevor Jarvis, who has dementia, said that people with dementia have enough problems without being ignored by people. He said that he is often made to feel that he can’t think for himself. ”It’s becoming a faceless society”. He said that he has to deal with more automated services when he just wants to speak to a human being. People with dementia may find this difficult.
I left the conference enormously buoyed up by the wonderful humanity of so many people working in the field of dementia care. I just hope that we can spread the message.
Anne Deas
Dementia Information Service Co-ordinator for Guideposts Trust
Alistair Burns “Primary care holds the key to raising quality of dementia patients’ lives”
September 25th, 2012This month sees the start of the Department of Health’s campaign to raise awareness of the benefits of early dementia diagnosis. Many families find that encouraging someone to seek advice from their GP is difficult. There is no easy way to tackle this, each family needs to approach this in a way that they find comfortable.
The new campaign aims to inform people and help to reduce these problems and concerns around getting a diagnosis. Read more . .
Caring for our future: progress report on funding reform
July 13th, 2012Presented to Parliament July 2012.
The need for funding reform, Stakeholder views on reform, The Commission’s recommendations and how the Government is responding, The principles of funding reform, The benefits and costs of the Commission’s model and Conclusions and next steps
While the Music Lasts – a FREE symposium on music and dementia
July 9th, 2012The Wigmore Hall is the venue to a FREE symposium on the findings of research carried out by Lifelong Learning in Music and the Arts research group of the University of Hanze in Groiningen. The project pioneered and developed interactive workshops for people living with dementia. Thursday 20th September 2012 – 10:00 to 14:00, Wigmore Hall, London.