What do you know about dementia?
Before I started working for Outside the Box, I could barely have told you anything about it beyond knowing it tends to affect older people and has an impact on memory. I still have a long way to go in deepening my understanding but at least now I am aware that dementia refers not simply to one disease but comes in many different forms. I had no concept before of how dementia can effect the senses and other thinking processes in different ways, but now I am aware, for instance, that having dementia can effect the taste of what was once a favourite food.
I’m glad to have this opportunity to develop my understanding of what it means, how it manifests and what to be aware of in terms of making life easier for people living with dementia and knowing the importance of learning from every individual’s different experience. I’m now much more conscious when on transport, in cafes or looking at websites – for example – of how dementia-friendly they are.
More knowledge of what’s going on in the brain and how the various forms of dementia differ would help in giving more context and nuance to this understanding. We were pleased to see this online course offered for free by University College London (UCL) which spans 4 weeks and explores four less well-known forms of dementia, looking in to what changes take place in the brain and how we can use this knowledge to help people live well with dementia.
The course is designed for anyone to take. It of course will be particularly interesting for anyone working with people with dementia, or anyone with friends or family members with dementia.
Find out more about and register for the ‘The many faces of dementia’ course.
What are we doing?
Several of the projects we’re working on have a focus around making life better for people living with dementia.
- We’re currently developing a peer to peer resource for people living with dementia who find their sense of taste and/or smell is changing and are keen to here from anyone with experiences that they would like to share.
- Our Food Buddies project in Falkirk and the Borders offers a way for people with dementia (and others) to encourage and support each other on issues around food.
- Our new Rural Wisdom project will find ways to make rural areas work better for older people – part of this will be about listening to what’s working well and not so well for people with dementia living in rural areas.
Things to read
Here are a few dementia-related resources which we’ve put together or are keen to share:
Dementia and Sensory Challenges
A short booklet on how dementia can effect sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell.
Winter Tips
A booklet of tips and recipes for people who find food challenging, whether that be because of dementia or other health reasons.
Eating Well With Dementia – A Carer’s Guide
A guide from nutrition and diet resources UK which provides practical, everyday eating and drinking advice for people caring for a relative or friend with dementia.
Dementia Words Matter
Guidelines on language to use when talking about people living with dementia.
Making your group dementia friendly
Part of a set of ‘Hints and Tips’ which looks at how older peoples’ groups can become more dementia friendly.