Understanding dementia
What is dementia and how can we best help people living with it?
Are films a form of reminiscence for ageing parents?
Written by Rebecca Lenton Eleanor Bryson, from Memory Bank, shares how watching archive footage of the past has helped older people and those with dementia recall memories and communicate with their loved ones about the lives they once led. Memory Bank, an innovative series of films spanning six decades, was created as a resource to […]
Read more
Top tips on making life easier for someone with dementia
Written by Kathy Lawrence We can’t fix dementia. But in small ways we can make the world feel safer and less confusing. To help them We can suggest to their carers that they keep to familiar habits and routines – washing and dressing, meals, bedtime. On the other hand, if our parents want to do […]
Read more
Is there a “how to” on preventing and diagnosing dementia?
Written by Sandra Bullen What’s the state of dementia research today and what needs to happen next? How can we recognise the early stages of dementia and what can we do about it? These are some of the topics that When They Get Older co-founder Sandra Bullen discussed with leading dementia experts when we joined […]
Read more
How a game of pairs helped gauge grandad’s dementia
Written by Rebecca Lenton This week’s storyteller is Caroline. Caroline shares how a creating a personalised game of pairs for her grandad has helped him recall his family as his memory fades. About two and half years ago grandad had a mini stroke which catalysed the onset of his vascular dementia. His recovery was slow […]
Read more
Autumn outings soothe mum’s dementia
This week’s storyteller is Hannah Davies. Hannah shares how she’s learnt to embrace the changes in her mum’s health as her dementia progresses. Autumn has arrived for my seaside town, and whilst we still get a sunshine filled morning or afternoon there’s no mistaking that the temperature is dropping along with the leaves. I notice […]
Read more
Dementia, creativity and napkins… yes napkins!
Written by Rebecca Lenton A chance discovery by textile artist Deirdre Nelson has led to a valuable therapy for dementia patients in the form of napkin folding. Whilst creating artworks for Brunelcare’s new Saffron Gardens dementia care home Deirdre noticed that residents were often fascinated by the textured edges of items. In particular they would […]
Read more
How to cope with early onset dementia
Caroline Blanchette and Dr. Jacqui Hussey, trustees of charity Younger People with Dementia (YPWD), talk about the difficulties people face when a loved one develops dementia at a younger age and offer practical advice on how to cope with an early onset dementia diagnosis. This is something that could happen to our friends or siblings […]
Read more
Speaking up for our community in Dementia Friends
Written by Sandra Bullen When They Get Older visited the UK Government Cabinet Office in July 2013 to take part in a roundtable on Dementia Friends, a new initiative run by the Alzheimer’s Society and funded by the Cabinet Office and the Department of Health. The campaign is part of the Prime Minister’s challenge on […]
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