Colleagues may have noticed in our offices signage stating ‘Working to become Dementia Friendly’. Something seen across a number of organisations and businesses including on emergency service vehicles. So what does it mean? Does it mean that staff in all organisations/employers who say they are ‘Working to become Dementia Friendly’ are competent to sensitively deal with service users with Dementia or their Carers or family members? If it’s a NO
Hi. I’m back with (I’m sure) the highly anticipated part B of my musings about dementia. As promised below is a transcript of my interview with a person living with a parent with dementia. I hope you enjoy the read and even better if it changes the way you might view those with and those dealing with dementia, as it has done for me….oh and we also get to find
I’m a cognitive behavioural therapist who joined the IAPT team at Touchstone this month and this is my first ever blog. I’ve chosen dementia as my first topic, quite simply because I was asked! :) Dementia is a term I understand but is not something which I’ve ever fully considered. I guess the way life is set-up means if we’re not dealing with things of immediate concern then there seems
On the 13/14th April, Sikhs all around the world celebrate Vaisakhi and a procession called 'Nagar Kirtan' led by five Khalsa proceeds through public spaces. Vaisakhi marks the inauguration of the Khalsa, the body of committed Sikhs who have decided to dedicate their lives to the values of the Sikh Gurus. The Khalsa meaning "pure sovereign" was founded to create a group of people who were prepared to stand up to
There’s a set of cutlery from 1950, with the embossed numbers hammered in. It represents my fathers RAF National Service, over 2 years spent as a 20 year old young man straight from College. Like his tools he made at English Electric in Thornbury after National Service that as an Apprentice, or the Morris Dancing hat and bells, or the songbooks from his years in the Folk music world,
Touchstone is proud of the contribution we make to the city-wide Leeds Dementia Strategy. There are an estimated 8,500 people living with dementia in Leeds, of whom just over 6,400 have a diagnosis. Since 2013, the number of people with a dementia diagnosis in the city has increased by 40%. Touchstone, along with other charities, local people and communities has risen to the challenge to make Leeds a dementia-friendly place
My friend’s uncle has been displaying a lot of unusual behaviours which are totally out of character. He believes his daughter is his wife who passed away a few years ago. He does not recognise his family members’ true identity at all – he refers to his son as though it is his brother and his other daughter as though it is his sister. It is obviously a very difficult
Dementia is something we all need to be aware of at Touchstone as it can affect all of our lives. Although most of the service users who access Cromwell Mount do not have a Dementia diagnosis we recognise that not everyone displays the symptoms or disclose if they do. To ensure that we are in full support of anyone in this situation we are now well on our way to
You may be aware that in Touchstone we have Dementia Champions linked to our main sites. I am the Dementia Champion for Haslewood Drive offices and the Touchstone IAPT team where we offer treatment for people experiencing common mental health services, with a focus on patients from BAME and marginalised communities. We think about dementia in our decision making as it can present a lot like depression. It is estimated
I started working with adults with memory issues in 2016 and it was around that time I noticed changes in my Great Nan Rose. She had always been forgetful and other family members didn't notice the subtle changes but I did. It started with little things like getting people's names wrong. This wasn't uncommon as I come from a large family and there are a lot of names to remember;