Whats Inside

Natasha and her connection with Dementia

Hannah Brennan‘s tells us what its like to work with residents who have dementia

Dementia brain games

Did You Know

Megan Hardy‘s take on dementia

Georgia tells us why she supports dementia

Francesca Tarbox and her Grandad

How I have been fundraising

A daughters take on losing a parent to dementia

A Few Facts

Helpful Numbers & Dignity

Oh The Memories

When I was a little girl I was always Grandads little princess, I used to put his hair in pig tails, play shops, drag him around amusement arcades at Hembsy we would plot not to tell Nan how much we had spent on the 2p machines when all we won was a packet of sweets and key ring but been gone hours, Nan & Grandad would come & watch me at Dance festivals or shows I was in, sadly it Went from him pushing me around in a pram & running around loving life carefree to a diagnosis of Dementia, where in one afternoon not only his life changed forever but Nans did to, they had a caravan in Hembsy that they drove to every weekend & met up with their friends, they actually spent so much time there at one point over the years they git little jobs on the campsite, but that Afternoon ended the caravan trips it got put up for sale, he lost his driving licence naturally which also meant my Nan would find it hard to get out & about as she never learnt to drive, as a family they decided it was time to move out of the house they had called home for about 50 years to a bungalow in village closer by to everyone & that had a regular bus route, how one trip to the Dr can change your world! Things happened slowly to start with Grandad was just quiet & muddled but after a while it kicked in & he became a little argumentative & poor Nan dealt with the brunt end, my wedding was booked for the 19th December 2014 a week before Grandad decided he thought it was a good time to end up in hospital bless him after a fall, the Deementia had really kicked in now & there was talk about it was time to start looking at Nursing home options, I had always said when I get Married Grandad will walk me down the isle, our lovely vicar understood & obviously as Grandad had lost capacity my brother would give me away, anyway after a few nights away he was aloud to come, myself Nan & mum went to pick him up from hospital, he wasn’t amused about putting his socks & shoes on but after a bit of gentle persuasion I managed it, we all looked at each other & said we will discuss it after Christmas weve Got a wedding to get to!

One of the best decisions we ever made Grandad had one hell of a party, actually it was my wedding day but he thought it was his party & everyone shaking his hand, hugging him hello I think he must of thought he was a celebrity, my brother had the task of helping him in his suit that morning he wasn’t impressed with it as it wasn’t his usual Comfy clothes & slip on shoes but hey Tim you managed it thank you, his face when he saw me was a picture, to this day i will never know if he thought i was mum or if he knew it was me as we started to look very alike but hey who cares he strolled down that isle as proud as punch & when the carol singers started singing there wasn’t a dry eye in the church he was singing with them, at the reception he somehow managed to to dance all night we was all shattered trying to keep up, he had the best day & we made the best memories that we all watched & will treasure,sadly yes after Christmas it was time to look at nursing homes. It was a long just over ten year battle in the end but even when bed bound he still loved listening to music, seeing the dogs when we took them in & nothing more made him smile than seeing my Nans face who never missed a day of visiting, sadly there was quite a few trips to hosiptal over the years with chest infections we went from being able to load the wheelchair in the chair & take Nan & Grandad out to the pub, he still loved half a very watered down shandy & a slice of cake in a cafe to just being able to hold his hand & talk to him, he could hear us he could hear us singing away to the music, out of tune ha, unfortunately the last hospital visit in 2019 was the last he literally fort till the very end but we All knew it was coming, all his family visited & if i remember rightly nearly two weeks of hospital trips & for Nan over night stays he slipped away peacefully in his sleep. As sad, upset & beside ourselves we all was it was for the best, he was suffering with terrible chest infections & had no quality of life anymore his was suffering & in pain, he Was now free of that & was able to let go. Thjs is how I have ended up frundriasing for Alzheimer’s over the last few years & why I encourage everyone To help & support, try & understand any little part of living with dementia, it can happen to ANYONE.

Nan has adapted to life living alone, its not the same & she misses Grandad terribly she lost him twice once to Dementia & then losing to him totally but she’s doing well & still loves to puttering in her garden & get taken out for lunch, we are ladies that lunch now.

HannahBrennan

Life as a care assistant to elderly with dementia

I’m 32 years old and I have worked in health and social care for about 8 years in total. The past 3 or 4 in elderly and dementia patients! I absolutely adore my job, even the early wake up calls which pre care work, I would dread. My day starts at 0700, with a 15 minute or so hand over on a maximum of 21 residents (one floor only by the way!). Then we get to work, as a team to make sure everyone is settled and asleep or if they’re ready to start their day and get washed and dressed. Usually each resident will need 100% assistance but this doesn’t mean we take their independence, it might be more giving them a choice or jumpers to wear to physically putting the jumper on. Some times a resident wants our help and some times they don’t, but it’s our responsibility to encourage them to be happy through out the process. At the end of the day, who needs to see happy bubbly smiley people chatting to them first thing in the morning, with added confusion and sensory over load, it takes a lot of hard work to change your vibe with a person centred approach, 21 times over! We can help our residents to eat and drink, medicate to stay healthy and in control of their emotions, personal care, keep the guys entertained and get to know their past selves and their new, dementia selves as the human beings as they are. When my boss walks into the lounge, I always joke to a lady “quick here’s your land lady have you paid your rent?!” She always laughs and it’s our own little joke but if she doesn’t need to be aware she’s in a care home for the reasons she in for, she can just think she’s at home living a life of luxury, so I try to bring that normality to her and others.

One thing I love about my care home specifically, Ashdene Care Home in Sleaford (little shout out there!) is that it’s cosy, homely and staff treat the residents like family. Some of us go in and take the guys out on our days off, just to spend 1:1 in a way we can’t always on shift. Some of the staff always bring in treats and gifts when we think “ohhh *** would love this!”. I think it’s really important to offer family-friendly interaction with the guys for many reasons, yes we’re all professional and have boundaries in place but I love doing my paper work sat with someone asking them how their days been as if I haven’t just spent 14 hours with them. The other week, I set up a bowling alley in the lounge and got some of the guys to do 2 against 2 teams, and winners won cake and a pint! I’ve also made myself the unspoken nail care lady of the home, I always make sure everyone’s finger nails are clean and tidy. I chat to them as though it’s an appointment, jokingly asking if they’re going anywhere nice this year on holiday, some will laugh understanding the humour and other will tell me about a holiday they’ve just booked and paid for and I go along with it hearing all about the plans they think they’ve made.

I honestly couldn’t imagine doing a job where I actually put volunteer hours into the way I do at my care home. I love getting to know the residents, their families and the staff in a way you can only do in health and social! Anyone who wants to join the industry should absolutely give it a whirl for so many rewarding factors and stories you will keep for a life time!