Relationships
Understanding how relationships change as your parents age and how you can manage the challenges that arise
6 Key Tips for Dealing with ‘Difficult’ Family Members
Caring for older relatives can be a profoundly valuable experience, helping you forge deeper connections to a distant generation. However, sometimes these relationships can be soured by challenging behaviour which, once it becomes habitual, can lead to a significant impact on your own well-being as well as the care they receive. Here are six things […]
Read more
6 Ways to Show Appreciation to Your Parents
Collaborative Post Over the years our parents have nurtured, guided and supported us. Wanting to show appreciation through our actions can seem difficult, and telling them how grateful is sometimes challenging to put into words. However, there are ways to show appreciation to your senior parents by giving your time, your assistance and a listening […]
Read more
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