In this issue:
The emotional power of objects: Sally Knocker draws out the important messages of three articles in this issue: Material Citizenship, My Home Matters and Dementia the Montessori Way
Five Ways to Wellbeing: Gardening, research and evaluation
Better conversations in PPA
Obituary
One of the greatest pioneers: A tribute to Professor Dave Jolley (1944-2024)
Brooker D, Read K (2024) One of the greatest pioneers: A tribute to Professor Dave Jolley (1944-2024). Journal of Dementia Care 33(4) 11. The field of dementia care would not be the same place without the pioneering work and influence of Professor Dave Jolley. Dawn Brooker and Kate Read pay tribute to an exceptional man ... Read more
Comment/Opinion
The emotional power of objects
People often describe me as Mary Poppins as I have huge supplies of pictures, props and charity shop treasures which I use in my work. A favourite of these is a pair of small, red, patent leather children’s party shoes. Like Dorothy’s shoes in the Wizard of Oz, they seem to possess a certain magic, ... Read more
Meaningful Objects
Material Citizenship: How everyday objects can support identity and agency
Lee K (2024) Material Citizenship: How everyday objects can support identity and agency. Journal of Dementia Care 32(4) 19-21. Dr Kellyn Lee explains how Material Citizenship, an innovative approach to dementia care, can enable care staff to support a person’s right to autonomy and agency. Key points Material Citizenship is an evidence-based approach in dementia ... Read more
Care Homes
Changing the culture of practice and reducing responsive behaviour Phair L (2024) Dementia the Montessori way: Changing the culture of practice and reducing responsive behaviour. Journal of Dementia Care 32(4)26-29. This is the second of three articles on the Montessori approach and how it can enable person-centred care to be integrated across a whole organisation. ... Read more
Meaningful Objects
My Home Matters – making it personal
Eley R, Redwood P, Walker M (2024) My Home Matters – making it personal. Journal of Dementia Care 32(4) 22-25. What does “home” mean to people with dementia and how can the sense of identity associated with home be preserved through life’s transitions? In the third of their series of articles, Ruth Eley, Penny Redwood ... Read more
Home Care
Dementia Champions in Homecare: How can we develop and support this role?
Newton C et al (2024) Dementia Champions in Homecare: How can we develop and support this role? Journal of Dementia Care 32(4)30-33. Concluding their three-part series on developing the role of a Dementia Champion in Homecare, Christina Newton and colleagues outline the ways their findings can inform and support all involved in homecare services, and ... Read more
Arts
An apprenticeship: facilitating reminiscence arts in dementia care
Gibbons B (2024) An apprenticeship: facilitating reminiscence arts in dementia care. Journal of Dementia Care 32(4) 12-13. Barney Gibbons gives a personal account of the Remembering Yesterday, Caring Today apprenticeship course, with a special focus on his particular interest: performance. Key points Role-play evoked an understanding of dementia’s effects Facilitators played an important role in ... Read more
Post-diagnostic support
Can a peer-led course for people with dementia offer helpfulpost-diagnostic support?
Kate Gridley and colleagues report on their evaluation of The Good Life course, designed with people with dementia for people with dementia. They describe many positive outcomes and give recommendations for future courses of this kind. Kate Gridley on behalf of the Good Life with Dementia research team: Rachel Mann, Laura Tucker, Beth Casey, Mark ... Read more
Primary Progressive Aphasia
Better conversations for all involved in PPA
Smith E (2024) Better conversations for all involved in PPA. Journal of Dementia Care 32(4) 16-17. Dr Anna Volkmer (right, below) and colleagues worked with people affected by Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) to develop the Better Conversations intervention (first designed for stroke-related aphasia) into an effective tool. In conversation with Emma Smith, she describes how ... Read more
Activity
Five Ways to Wellbeing: Gardening, research and evaluation
Harvey S et al (2024) Five Ways to Wellbeing: Gardening, research and evaluation. Journal of Dementia Care 32(4)34-38. Su Harvey, Elspeth Mathie and colleagues describe a local horticultural therapy project for people affected by dementia, its evaluation using the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’, and fruitful collaboration between the project and the University of Hertfordshire, where ... Read more
Dementia Diaries
Dementia Diaries, July Aug 2024
Milton S (2024) Dementia Diaries. Journal of Dementia Care 32(4) 10. The Alzheimer’s Society video in which the narrator says that people with dementia “die again and again” has provoked a strong reaction amongst dementia diarists. We have had many frank and honest discussions about this video in our weekly Dementia Diarist ZOOMs. While the ... Read more
Book Review
Benson A (2024) The Memory Key – book review. Journal of Dementia Care 32(4)21. The Memory Key Review by Arthur Benson The Memory Key is a graphic novel written by Nigel Baines who also wrote A Tricky Kind of Magic which I previously read and enjoyed. It’s a story that involves not just magic but ... Read more
Research
Evidence for practice/Research news
This section aims to keep readers up to date with research in dementia care and the current best evidence to support practice. We aim to provide a channel of two-way communication between researchers and practitioners, so that research findings influence practice and practitioners’ concerns are fed into the research agenda. We welcome contributions such as: ... Read more