Mum, me and dementia: Learning the important things in life

The Hunter Centre asked me to write about my experience of caring for my mother. As an organisation that supports people living with dementia and their carers, they wanted to bring a personal perspective to navigating this sometimes challenging area. I wrote the following post for them. It is a summary of my caring journey …

Settling into the care home

Whether or not a move to a care home is planned or triggered by crisis, there is a lot you can to do to support the wellbeing of your loved one once they have moved. This post shares some ideas.

Food, Glorious Food: So What?

When I brought mum back home, I was keen to get her onto a healthy diet. In my efforts to prepare the perfect dish, I tried to keep mum out of the kitchen and out of my way, until I realised this was becoming a problem…

Helping Mum Remember Who She Is

Since mum has been home I have been painfully struck by the impact of vascular dementia on her memory. I thought I was prepared for the time when she no longer remembered me. What I didn’t expect is that her memories would come and go.

Tackling Anxiety and Depression

Mum often suffers high levels of anxiety and becomes very tearful and down. These strong emotional states are getting worse, and seem heightened following her change of room at the care home. I still haven't managed to unearth the core elements that will enable me to develop a 'Contented Dementia' plan, described in previous posts. …