Read our posts about Elderly

12Mar

Caring for Someone with Dementia

June Andrews

dementia, elderly, family, home, love

Mind

Having dementia is very worrying. The stress leads to upsetting behaviour, and that is the sort of thing that people find hard to deal with at home. All of them will be solved more easily if there is a relaxed atmosphere at home. If someone is shouting, repeating themselves, refusing to eat, staying cool and tranquil would be a miracle.  So the secret is to put as much in place as possible to keep a stress-free background environment. This means avoiding over-stimulation - and everyone has different things that they find stimulating, so you have to decide for...
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23Nov

Becoming a Grandparent

Angela Neustatter

elderly, family, love

Relationships

I was pleased when my son and daughter-in-law announced they were expecting, but I had no idea what a transformational rite of passage it would be when she became part of our family. How much love would be unleashed, how it is to see her little personality shaping itself and to have a soft dough hand thrust trustingly into mine and The Old Man's as we stride down the street with her, pausing to examine dogs, doorways, shop, windows at her command. In fact I fear I've become a sentimental old bore whipping out my smart phone if someone as much as enquires...
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21May

Old Faces, Younger Lives: How to See Beyond Dementia

Giovanna Forte

care, dementia, elderly, family

Relationships

Imagine yourself in hospital, aged and unable to articulate what you need and when. Think of the dejection, loneliness, and knowledge that your wellbeing lies in the hands of someone who sees you only as a blank and wrinkled canvas, who sees you only in the context of your dementia. I have, and I find it frightening. Dementia visits the elderly with a cloak of confusion and uncertainty, its prey usually unaware of its early presence, manifested by occasional illogical behaviour. A friend witnessed her 75 year-old mother trying to pay for groceries with cigarettes,...
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03Feb

Taking Care of Our Elderly

Wendy Varley

care, elderly, family, society

Relationships

More and more of us have an elderly relative in residential care. Currently more than 400,000 people in the UK live in care homes, a figure which is bound to rise further, given the ageing population (there are currently 3 million people aged over 80 in the UK, and that figure is predicted to almost double by 2030. Currently one-in-six of the UK population is aged over 65; by 2050 it will be one-in-four). NICE the (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) has issued new guidance on improving the mental wellbeing of older people in residential care, via a...
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