Loving your neighbour

Staff at a care home run by the Abbeyfield Society celebrated Valentine’s Day “sharing the love” in their local community by giving out gifts.  Speedwell Court sits at the heart of Southampton’s West End, where staff at the dementia-friendly home for 80 residents have been encouraged to create personalised gifts for older people living nearby. …

Chronic health issues

People with two or more chronic health issues in middle age are more than twice as likely to develop dementia, according to research from University College London published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). The more severe the illnesses, the stronger the link seems to be, and for those with more than two conditions the risk…

Royally treated

Professor Dawn Brooker received her MBE, awarded in the 2021 New Year’s Honours, at Windsor Castle last week.  Princess Anne took charge of the MBE investiture, where Dawn reports that the princess was “very happy talking about dementia”.  Dawn is director of the Association of Dementia Studies, University of Worcester, and a long-standing member of…

Musings ‘through the fog’

A new compilation of the thoughts and poetry of Peter Berry has been published in book form under the title Walk with Me: Musings Through the Dementia Fog.  Published on Amazon in December (£10.99), Peter’s words were captured by his friend Deb Bunt, who has spent the last two years jotting them down. The book…

Reimagine dementia

People affected by dementia are joining forces across the globe in a campaign for change called “Let’s Reimagine”, launched by the pressure group Reimagining Dementia: A Creative Coalition for Justice. It aims to challenge the “biomedical and institutional approaches” to dementia policy and practice, which the international coalition says lead to fear, stigma and hopelessness….

Seeing the same GP

Seeing the same GP on every visit to the surgery significantly lowers health complications and emergency hospital admissions for people with dementia, an Exeter University study has found. More than 9,000 patient records were examined and they showed that fewer medicines were prescribed when the person with dementia was consistently seen by the same GP…

DEEP 10th anniversary

DEEP – the UK network of dementia voices – will be “shouting out loud and proud” this year to celebrate its 10th anniversary. There will be an online festival on 5 – 9 December with a wide range of sessions, including a mixture of fun and serious discussions, practical activities and the showcasing of DEEP…

Care home research

In what is believed to be a care sector “first”, Dr Isabelle Latham has been appointed researcher in residence by Hallmark Care Homes.  Dr Latham moves to her new role from Worcester University’s Association for Dementia Studies (ADS), where she had a lengthy career as a senior lecturer.  Hallmark is a family-run business with 19…

APPG on social care needs

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Dementia is investigating what people affected by dementia want from the social care workforce so that they can live well.  MPs and Peers on the APPG are particularly keen to explore specialist needs of people with dementia and what the barriers are to accessing care tailored to these needs….