Dementia Carer Burnout and a Sensory Deprivation Tank

Dementia Carer Burnout: I Didn’t Know How Far I’d Drifted When someone you love is diagnosed with dementia, the mental load doesn’t arrive all at once. It builds. A new worry here, a new responsibi...

One Day At a Time

One day at a time. Taking things day by day. Take each day as it comes. Each one of these has the same basic proposition: don’t think about tomorrow. As propositions go, it can be a comforting one....

Dementia Life Expectancy: The Lives Behind The Numbers

Dementia Life Expectancy When my mum was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s the first thing I did was dive headfirst into some deep rabbit holes of late-night googling. Initially I searched for...

There Are No Expectations When a Friend Has Dementia

  Do you remember your best friend from primary school? What about your other friends from that time, or those you had in your first year in senior school? Or what about who you go see now, with t...

Grieving Someone Who Is Still Alive: The Hidden Grief of Dementia

  Everyday Grief Nobody prepares you for this kind of grief. The grief most of us understand has a beginning and an end. There’s a loss, there’s a funeral, there’s a period of mourning, and then — ...

Connecting With Someone Who Has Dementia: Finding Joy When Memory Fades

  Finding Joy When Memory Fades There’s a quote that I come back to again and again, from a woman called Naomi Feil, who dedicated her life to understanding dementia. Her work is certainly worth a ...

Becoming a Carer for a Parent With Dementia: When Your Role Changes Forever

Changing Roles There’s a moment, and I think most people in our group can pinpoint it, where you realise you’ve stopped being just yourself. You’re not just a son or a daughter or a partner anymore...

What Is Dementia Really Like? The Dark Ages Nobody Talks About

The Dementia Dark Ages I know my mum is hyper aware of what’s happening to her. She’s in a really awkward stage in a dementia diagnosis, that I’m sure most families will go through, where my mum kn...

Mother’s Day When Your Mum Has Dementia: What I Wish Someone Had Told Me

What To Say on Mother's Day It’s currently 8.11am on Mother’s Day morning. I’ve got Match of the Day on and I’m on the sofa writing the words you’re reading now. If I’m honest, I’ve been dreading t...

Coping With a Parent’s Dementia Diagnosis: The Grief Nobody Warns You About

Dementia Isn't Fair  Nothing about dementia is fair. We all used to be lambasted as children for saying “it’s not fair.” And now, here I am at 30 years old, wanting to scream it at the top of my v...