Relationships
Understanding how relationships change as your parents age and how you can manage the challenges that arise
What shall we do about Christmas?
At this time of year I would normally be pointing to our invaluable posts about how to get through Christmas with a houseful of guests and minimum stress, especially if your guests include those living with dementia. This year anxiety comes in very different ways. Who to have in our bubble? How to manage a much […]
Read more
Helping Your Parents Enjoy Their Retirement
Collaborative Post There are different cycles we go through when it comes to the relationship we have with our parents. When we’re younger, they look after us. When we’re older, it becomes more of a friendship. And then when they’re older, we have to do our bit to make sure that they’re happy and living […]
Read more
How to Choose Affordable High Gloss Laminate Flooring
Collaborative Post In any family home, every penny matters. Sometimes, we need to treat ourselves and redecorate our home, but this can be an expensive task. How do you afford the new furniture for a baby arriving? What kind of flooring is going to be the most cost-effective? High gloss laminate flooring is one of […]
Read more
Christmas celebrations and dementia
Christmas and other family celebrations can be an overwhelming time for someone living with dementia. A sudden influx of friends and family can cause individuals to feel stressed, agitated and confused. Active Minds outline their top tips for supporting your loved one through the Christmas period, ensuring you enjoy a magical festive time together. Planning […]
Read more
Dad, dementia and connecting through art
Written by Rebecca Lenton This week’s storyteller is Ro Lavender. Ro tells us how watercolour painting brought her closer again to her father, Peter Scott, after advancing dementia had caused a collapse in communication between them. My dad was an architect and a very capable and independent individual. He was a practical man who always […]
Read more
When helpers become the enemy
This week’s storyteller is Sally.After years of being his wife’s carer, Sally’s father began to believe that everyone coming into his home wanted to poison him or steal his treasures. In this first part of her story, Sally describes how her father slipped into delusional paranoia and how his family struggled to help. After more […]
Read more
Mum refuses help – what can we do?
Written by Rebecca Lenton This week’s storyteller has chosen to be anonymous. Our storyteller talks about the dilemma of a mother who lives in a home that’s no longer suitable for her needs, but refuses to move out, move nearer or get help. When my parents moved from London to their cottage in a remote […]
Read more
No more digging
My dad has always loved his garden, and I’ve always assumed that he will be tending it to the end. So it took me a long time to realise that despite all the treatment and care he’s received for problems large and small over the last few years, he’s not going to get back out […]
Read more
Enjoying nature and the outdoors with a family member with dementia
Being out in nature and sharing activity outside is something which brings immediate benefits to people living with dementia and we believe is a crucial part of “living well”. The outdoors is the original multi-sensory environment and we don’t need to be taught or learn how to connect with it. It is free and on […]
Read more
Tips for caring from a distance
Helping parents who don’t live just round the corner is more complicated, but there are many things that we can do to ease their situation. Sally offers some tips gleaned from her experience of supporting a mother with physical needs and a father with mental challenges, both at the same time. It is possible to […]
Read more