Dementia Awareness

Staff at the practice recently attended a dementia awareness presentation by one of our patients who is involved in helping those suffering from dementia.

Eileen described how living with dementia can have a big emotional, social, psychological and practical impact on a person. Many people with dementia describe these impacts as a series of losses and adjusting to them is challenging.

We discussed that when supporting a person with dementia, it can be helpful to have an understanding of the impact the condition has on that person, including understanding how the person might think and feel, as these things do affect how they behave. The person may be experiencing a world that is very different to that of those around them. It will help to try to see things from the perspective of the person with dementia, as far as possible.

Everyone is unique, having their own personality, likes and dislikes, and life history. It is very important to focus on what the person still does have, not on what they may have lost. We discovered how important it is to focus on what the person feels rather than what they remember.

Eileen really brought into focus the impact dementia has on a person and the people around them, and all of our staff agreed that having the awareness presentation was enlightening.

If you have any questions regarding this, please feel free to ask in the practice.