Dementia Action Week 20-26th May - Lets get talking!

Dementia Action Week is an annual national campaign run by the Alzheimer’s Society. This year the campaign is encouraging everyone to take action by starting a conversation!

According to the Alzheimers Society - Every three minutes someone in the UK develops Dementia

Communication is key for people suffering or supporting someone with Dementia, people with Dementia may forget words, have problems communicating or expressing what they want and people supporting them need to adapt their approach to be patient, supportive and where possible enable to a person with Dementia to have choice and control.

Every time we talk about dementia we get a step closer to creating a more, supportive society. The kind of society we can all be proud to be part of.

This week we encourage you to strike up a conversation and show your support!

Here are some useful tips

• Avoid distractions – ensure the focus is on the two of you and the conversation
• Speak clear, calm and naturally – ensure you are not condescending
• Non-verbal cues – use eye contact and smile
• Be patient – do not get frustrated and give the person time to respond
• Call the person by their name – names are important and help with recognition
• Listen -  allow the person time to talk

General conversations about everyday things help create routine and recognition, examples can be –

• Conversations around choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Discussing a fond memory -  family holiday, party etc
• Looking through old photos and asking the person to talk about them

The Alzheimer’s society has created a helpful booklet full of great advice to support you.

Nurseplus are committed to supporting dementia clients and their friends and family throughout the year, helping people to live as independently as they can. Many of our staff nationwide are registered as Dementia champions and use their experience and training to support our care teams; enabling us to offer the best possible support to anyone living with dementia.

If anyone is worried about potential symptoms of dementia, including your own memory or someone else’s, Alzheimer’s Society has lots of useful information