Is it just "Getting Old" or is it Dementia?

Have you seen the new advertisement by the Alzheimer's Society to raise awareness of dementia?  (See it here) .  As our population grows older the single biggest health risk is dementia which is a progressive decline in major functions i.e. memory, reasoning, communication and skills for daily living.  Of course there are other reasons for memory loss and as soon as you feel that something is not quite right, it is best to get some advice, help and a definite diagnosis as early as possible.

Helping Someone with Dementia with Medication

It's very common for people with dementia who have other health conditions as well to have to take a  number medicines at various times of the day.   This can become very confusing and, if they live alone, a source of anxiety for their family too, who worry if they are taking thier medicines.. Here are a few tips to help people with dementia who live on their own to take their medicines correctly.

Buying a Mobility Scooter - Tips from RentMobility in Rugby

Have you seen a mobility scooter and wondered if you could benefit from having one?  I went down to RentMobility in Rugby who have a vast selection of scooters and chatted to the owner of the business, Suzanna, about how to go about buying a mobility scooter. Here are some of Suzanna's tips.

Why Use a Community Alarm?

A lady who looks after her mother was telling me about her mother's experience with the Community Alarm, which is a telephone based system with a pendant with a button which is pressed to summon help in an emergency. Her elderly mother was most reluctant to have any form of monitoring and hated wearing the pendant. One day the lady had to go to another town to visit a relative and made sure before she left that her mother was wearing the pendant in spite of her mother's protests. As it happened, the mother had a nasty fall during the day and luckily wearing the pendant, she was able to call for help and medical assistance. She is a lot happier to wear her alarm now. This story highlighted to me how important it is for elderly people to have a community alarm and I spoke to Sheila Field, the Supported Housing Co-ordinator, at the Warwick Response Control centre in Leamington Spa about how the system works.

Survival Tips for Carers - Carers Week 13-19 June 2011

It's Carers Week between 13 - 19 June 2011 and an opportunity to recognise the great work which is done by our country's six million carers.  Many carers give up employment, income and pension rights to take on their caring role. It can be a 24-hour exhausting responsibility  with little practical or financial help.  Most carers are also so concerned about the welfare of the person (or sometimes "persons"!) that they look after that they forget to look after themselves leading to exhaustion, ill health, anxiety, depression and permanent disabilty for themselves as well.    If you are a carer who has not had a holiday or a break for as long as you have been caring, and recognise any of the above then you are probably a victim of what is known as "carer burnout".

Personal Care : Washing and Dressing

Assisting someone with Dementia with personal care is one of the most common tasks which care workers are asked to undertake.  Many people resist having assistance with personal care as it is a reminder that they are not as able as they used to be and they  feel that they are losing control of this most intimate part of their lives.
However, care staff  are there to help not to take over and we encourage the client to do as much as possible for themselves.  The emphasis is always on maintaining everyday life skills and facilitating the client to remain independent for as long as possible.  Here are some tips to ensure that washing and dressing are as stress free both for the person with dementia and the person assisting them.

Five Easy Ways to Communicate with Someone with Dementia

As Dementia progresses the part of the brain which deals with speech and understanding starts to become affected.  It  becomes increasingly difficult for the person with Dementia to make sense of the world around them.  The ability to process information decreases, concentration reduced and they become unable to recognise what is being said to them or to articulate what they want.  It's all too easy for carers to become frustrated and angry when their loved one seems to have difficulty with even simple communication.  Here are five easy ways to ensure that communication with someone with Dementia is not a continuing battle.