Health
How can you help your parent stay well for as long as possible and find their way through a complex health system?
Talking about dying with your parents
Joe Levenson, Director of Communications for the Dying Matters Coalition shares practical advice for starting the conversation with your parent about the future. When it comes to dying, no one wants to talk about it, but sometimes thoughts left unsaid are final wishes left unheard. Despite encouraging signs that older people are increasingly making their […]
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Maintaining a relationship when your parent has dementia – a real-life story
Our specialist ageing parent “agony aunt” Lesley Trenner has been talking to people about the emotions around caring for family members living with dementia. Here she tells how sisters Jean and Diane are taking this journey and offers tips to others with the same challenges. When your parent is diagnosed with dementia it can be […]
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How to cope with bereavement
Written by Rebecca Lenton Grief is something no one is ever really prepared for. Learning how to live with loss can be difficult and bereavement affects everyone differently but finding the right support can sometimes feel like an uphill struggle. We share where to find help, your rights to workplace leave and tips on how […]
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Balancing dementia care with a full-time career
This week’s storyteller is Marianne Talbot. Marianne, Director of Studies in Philosophy at Oxford University, shares how she managed to care for a Dad with dementia and later a Mum with Alzheimer’s whilst working as a full-time academic. I was expecting people for supper when the phone rang. Dad had been rushed into hospital. I […]
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Supporting dementia carers at work
As a full-time Project Manager at the Met Office, Mary Sherwood was inspired by Radio Devon’s commitment to make Devon a dementia-friendly county. This is how she worked with her employer to create an office that supported working carers of people living with dementia, and how she is spreading the word to other organisations around […]
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How I coped with my mum’s dementia
This week’s storyteller is Lesley Trenner. Lesley, an Ageing Parent Coach, describes how she learnt to deal with her mum’s advancing dementia while making career decisions. She talks about how she now offers support to others facing similar challenges with their parents. Looking back, we aren’t entirely sure when mum’s mental condition started to decline […]
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Dementia care – How to find the help you need
When you’re caring for a parent, or partner, with dementia it can be hard to continue without help from others. We asked the experts behind PayingForCare for advice on where to find the right information to help us when we need it most. We’d like to think that we can do it all on our […]
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Tips on dementia and the family fall-out
This week’s storyteller has chosen to be anonymous. After taking the lion’s share of caring for her mother despite having an extended family close at hand, this week’s storyteller shares some of her insights into making the best of what life throws at us. Recognise that people don’t get it The problem with dementia is […]
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Tips on juggling work, family – and two parents with dementia
Written by Kathy Lawrence This week’s storyteller is Anita.One parent with dementia is tough. Anita Avery found herself trying to hold down a job, take care of a family, and look after two parents – one with Alzheimer’s and the other with vascular dementia. We asked Anita to share the lessons her experience has taught […]
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Talking about dementia – blogging and how it helps
This week’s storyteller is Jill Sinclair. In honour of Dementia Awareness Week Jill talks about caring for her dad who has dementia and how her blog helps her work through the new challenges she faces. She hopes that by publicly sharing her experiences she will encourage others dealing with dementia to learn more about it […]
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