communication
The benefits of care over the phone
John Wilson, Project Director of Link Line London, shares his expertise in the field of telephone support and talks about the benefits of care over the phone. I was active in my local community, and realised there were many older people living on their own, feeling lonely and isolated from their friends and neighbours. There […]
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Caring for a dad with dementia, blindness and hearing loss
Written by Rebecca Lenton This week’s storyteller is Jacky. Another urgent call from mum but fortunately this one is less of a crisis than many others. Dad has walked unaided and sat himself in a low chair from which neither he nor mum can move him. When I arrive dad is singing a hymn at […]
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Caring for a father with Parkinson’s
This week’s storyteller is Chris. Chris tells the sad story of his brilliant father’s degeneration due to Parkinson’s, and how the family managed his care with love and respect. My father at 83 started to become very slow, and slightly doddery, and for him that was not normal. He was a very smart, neat and […]
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Who matters in the care home?
Written by Kathy Lawrence How one group of experts is aiming to encourage good practice in care homes. A buzz term you may increasingly come across when you’re researching care homes is “patient-centric care” or its stable-mate “patient-centred care”. It’s all about involving patients and their families in decisions about how residents receive their care. […]
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How to prepare for your parent moving in
While moving your parent in isn’t for everyone there are those of us who would rather they were close to home so we can keep a watchful eye on their health than face the prospect of being unable to help because we live further afield. If your parent’s health worsens or perhaps they’re struggling with […]
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Respecting my parents’ wishes
This week’s storyteller is Clare Tanner. Clare was taken by surprise when her aunt told her that her mum was having heart surgery. She had no idea and she told us about her initial reactions in her story here. Now she explains the changes her and her mum have made in their relationship to foster […]
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Mum didn’t tell me about her major heart surgery
Written by Rebecca Lenton This week’s storyteller is Clare Tanner. When your aunt mentions that your mum’s having surgery and you had no idea – what do you do? Clare shares her experience of her parents’ preference for privacy and desire to not worry her by not telling her about it! Mum is 70 in […]
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Are sex and love taboo topics for you and your parents?
Don’t be afraid to talk to your parent about love and sex, advises Relate counsellor and author, Barbara Bloomfield. They’ve got the same hopes and dreams as you have, but are probably just a bit shyer of talking about it. After my mother was widowed in her sixties, I used to see quite a bit […]
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Older but not over the hill
Written by Rebecca Lenton This week’s storyteller has chosen to be anonymous. There’s a societal habit of associating old age with decrepitude. Because someone is elderly they automatically can’t do things for themselves. They can’t hear and see as they used to and therefore they’re considered incapable. This widely shared assumption seems to create an […]
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Helping our parents to feel that they’re not a burden
We’re bound to feel frustrated with our parents sometimes, but do we want them to feel eternally grateful to us? You’ve given up yet another Sunday to spend it in A&E with a parent. Your partner’s come too, and between you you’ve been running errands all afternoon – driving off to your parent’s house to […]
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