Dementia UK’s Post

#WorldAlzheimersDay What does 'Still Me' mean to you? 🌟 For us, Still Me is a powerful social movement dedicated to instilling hope, fostering connections, easing the sense of overwhelm and inspiring meaningful action for those affected by dementia. For many touched by Alzheimer's and other dementias, it’s a reminder that they are still themselves in so many ways - like the many amazing folks who's stories you can find at the link below. For anyone touched by dementia, whether you're living with symptoms or you know someone who is, Still Me is a movement that provides crucial support to family members as they navigate the challenges dementia has on their loved ones. What does Still Me mean to you? This World Alzheimer’s Day, take meaningful action by visiting https://bit.ly/3Xf5iu1 to learn more about Alzheimer's disease or other dementias, and share your story to help inspire others! 💙#WorldAlzheimersDay #StillMeYYC #alzyyc #alzheimerawareness #alzheimersupports #alzheimerscalgary #alzheimers #knowalzheimers #alzheimerscommunity #knowdementia #dementiasupports #dementiacommunity #alzcalgarywalkandrun

Every three minutes, someone in the UK develops Dementia - it's one of the biggest health challenges of our time. Families affected are often left feeling exhausted and overwhelmed and don’t know where to turn. Dementia is a group of symptoms. It’s caused by different diseases that damage the brain. The symptoms get worse over time and include: memory loss confusion and needing help with daily tasks problems with language and understanding  changes in behaviour. Dementia is progressive, which means symptoms may be relatively mild at first, but they get worse over time. There are many types of dementia but Alzheimer’s disease is the most common. The next most common is vascular dementia.  1 in 3 people born in the UK today will be diagnosed with dementia in their lifetime. Dementia is the UK's biggest health and social care crisis. This week is Dementia Action week and we want to help support and raise awareness of this disease. Please make a donation if you can. For those living with Dementia and the families and friends involved it can be scary and isolating. There is support available and you don't need to do this alone. https://lnkd.in/eKRQN7gD In our classes this week, we will be bringing purple balloons! We plan to have some fun and incorporate movement and fun playing exercise games that help with social interaction and hand eye coordination.  Please help raise awareness!  #dementia #alzheimers #dementiaawareness #DementiaActionWeek#care

🧠✨ Understanding dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is of utmost importance, especially when it comes to early detection, intervention, and providing the necessary support for those affected by these conditions. Early recognition of the signs can significantly improve the quality of life for both individuals facing cognitive decline and their caregivers. Below, we outline the top five signs that may indicate the presence of dementia or Alzheimer’s: 1. Memory Loss: This often manifests as frequent forgetfulness, particularly concerning recent events, conversations, or significant dates such as birthdays and anniversaries. Individuals may frequently misplace items or struggle to remember information they once knew easily, which can be distressing both for them and their loved ones. 2. Difficulty Planning or Problem-Solving: This could include difficulties in following a well-known recipe or managing monthly bills and finances. They might struggle to concentrate on tasks, making it hard to organize their thoughts or make decisions, leading to frustration and confusion. 3. Confusion with Time or Place: They might lose track of the days of the week, forget what season it is, or become disoriented about the passage of time. This disorientation can extend to physical locations as well; they may forget where they are or how they arrived at a particular place, creating a sense of anxiety and insecurity. 4. Challenges in Communication: Individuals may struggle to find the right words to express themselves, leading to pauses in conversation or incomplete thoughts. They might have trouble following discussions or may repeat themselves frequently, which can be frustrating for both the individual and those trying to engage with them. 5. Changes in Mood and Personality: This may manifest as sudden mood swings, increased anxiety, or withdrawal from social activities that they once enjoyed. Loved ones may notice a change in the individual’s demeanour, with behaviours that seem out of character, such as increased irritability or a lack of interest in previously cherished hobbies. At Ideal Caregivers 4u, we’re committed to providing support and resources for those affected by dementia and Alzheimer's. You're not alone in this journey! For more information, visit us at: https://bit.ly/3XLe0T0. Together, we can make a difference! 💚 #DementiaAwareness #AlzheimersSupport #IdealCaregivers4u #dementiacare #mississaugaseniorcare #markhamseniorcare #ottawaseniorcare

Learning to adapt, focus on tiny details and sort out paperwork promptly are key learnings in this excellent article about caring for a parent with dementia. There is no straight path when it comes to watching a loved one live with this complex condition. Whilst no two patients are the same, learning from other people's experiences, however painful, is a useful way to navigate these unknown as best as we can. https://lnkd.in/eMJbtqmn

Alzheimer's disease or dementia is not a normal part of aging. It is a serious brain disease that is a rapidly growing problem globally. ☑️Women are more susceptible: in the U.S., nearly 2/3 of more than 6million people suffering Alzheimer's are women. ❗️But women are also more likely to be caregivers of those with Alzheimer's - 60-70% of all unpaid Alzheimer's and dementia caregivers are women. ☑️Alzheimer's / dementia affects not just memory, but also sense of smell, mood, personality, logical thinking/reasoning - all human activities. ❗️Alzheimer's begins 20 years or more before memory loss and other symptoms develop. ☑️People age 65 or older survive average 4-6 years after diagnosis, some live as long as 20 years. Awareness and planning is critical in managing an ill family member. If you are a woman, it's even more important. Nearly 70% of Americans have no estate plan. If you are one of them, please start your estate planning. If you don't have resources to hire a lawyer, reach out to pro bono estate planning clinics in your community, such as Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland. Alzheimer's Association®also provides good resources, including seminars. If you are in the area, please feel free to stop by my Managing Money: A Caregiver's Guide to Finances. #estateplanning #caregiving #familycare #managingmoney #alzheimersdementia #agingfamilymember

My father has Alzheimer’s Disease. Part 2 My father has #Alzheimers disease and I hate it (not my dad to make it clear 😩). -He is no longer the person he was. -He is no longer my father, grandfather or a partner to his amazing supportive partner. -He IS someone, I wish he wasn’t . I cherish and always will what we had, the fact that he travelled to see us for hours on end - in the 80-90ties to spend a day or two with his kids; being squeezed in the small car of his in between my annoying brothers while going on adventures; the hugs, the talks, the I love yous/proud of yous; the 7.05am happy birthdays and happy international children days (even when I was no longer considered one); the pride of seeing him on stage (see the initial post on my page for context), his blunt nature 🙄 - it’s pretty clear who I got it from 🤷🏻♀️. But my father isn’t who he was anymore. And I am going to be very honest with you, I do NOT like who my dad is now…. You will all ask, why I am posting this personal story here. The reason is, I work within #clinicalresearch/development space. Not in a scientific or medical capacity but I have pretty good understanding as you can imagine. On daily basis, I am the one who simply talks too much most of the time but it creates the desired outcome, somehow anyway 🤷🏻♀️. Let’s leave it at that …. since I am not talking about me here….or am I…. There is not enough #awareness about how devastating this condition is; there is not enough specialist care homes to care for cantankerous people like my dad who forgot how to be truly cantankerous, they are way too expensive, and if you lucky enough to get a bed - there is not enough resources for families bearing the emotional and the financial consequences. There is no cure….. There is however a lot of stigma, there is a lot of shame! We still have lives to live, we still have to care for those 👧 🐕🦺who will care for us when some of us get to where my dad is now (I know, I can trust my dog with picking the right home if needed). Did I mention I have mortgage to pay, the hormonal pre-teenager wannabe of mine 👧, the eMBA (my dream from forever), you get the picture. But I love my dad…. I want to extend a heartfelt thank Dementia UK for your kindness; your clear pointers of my next steps and guidance on matters I wasn’t even aware of; thank you for listening, and thank you for caring. Now it is always about money...so therefore to my wide network - Please donate if you can as their support is invaluable and truly “priceless”. From the bottom of my heart - thank you 🙏🏻 . https://lnkd.in/dNaHVYu2 And thank you to my ex colleague @ESMO congress last Sunday, for “the hug” when I needed it most. You know who you are. I am not sure how many parts of my dad’s story will there be. I can’t even decide if want it to be long…. 💔 Please feel free to reshare, the awareness must grow. P.S. pls. Ignore the below link, cannot delete it for some reason and it is an error

Navigating dementia can be tough, especially for children. But with the right approach, you can help them understand, feel supported, and maintain a loving bond. Learn how to: ▪️ Explain dementia in an age-appropriate way ▪️ Validate their feelings and address their fears ▪️ Emphasize the enduring love between them ▪️ Prepare for potential changes ▪️ Create meaningful activities together Discover tips and resources in our latest blog post: https://lnkd.in/gpYqFtxz #Dementia #Family #Support

Mirror, mirror on the wall, why are you the scariest thing of all? Last year, I read about an amazing village in France, purpose-built solely for people with dementia. The emphasis is on non-medicalised, person-centred care in an environment which gives people as much autonomy as possible, including freedom to visit the barber's or supermarket or simply walk in the gardens whenever they wish. One of the things that interested me was what they had observed about mirrors: "Everything can be adapted – the mirrors can be taken away, for example. ‘There are people who don’t like to see themselves ... When the disease gets worse, some people don’t recognise themselves, so it scares them." With our SPECAL sense hat on, we can pinpoint why the person in the mirror might not be the one they expect to see and why it's a shock to them. If we think back to the SPECAL Photograph Album analogy,** we know that the person with dementia lacks the ability to reliably store the facts of what has just happened to them, to make sense of their current situation - who they're with, what they're doing, why they're doing it etc. But they haven't lost their ability to reason, nor their wish to reason so they will, quite logically, turn back to the parts of their photograph album where they DO have intact, pre-dementia memories ... and then try to make a match between what they find there and what's going on in the present. However, the area of the album they are referring to at that point might be from 10, 20, or even 50+ years ago ... so if they then suddenly glance into a mirror and see an elderly, perhaps frail version of themselves reflected back, when they were fully expecting to see themselves at 29 years old, you can understand how traumatising and stressful that could be! (Let's face it, it's bad enough when you reach a certain and you don't even have dementia 😳) ** See video pinned to the top of this page #understandingdementia #doingdementiadifferently #SPECALmethod #supportforalzheimers #dementiacare #contenteddementia

Whether you or someone you loved was recently diagnosed with dementia, navigating these next steps can feel overwhelming. In our most recent blog post, we wanted to provide some clarity and support by addressing some of the common questions others like you may have. We're here to help guide you through this journey with compassion and knowledge. You’re not alone, and together, we can navigate this journey. Read the blog here: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gy4kceUe #Dementia #InspirationsALMC #KnowledgeSharing #LearnWithUs #blog