Contact
Dementia Guide

Dementia Guide

Dementia Guide

Belong villages are designed around the needs of people with dementia and we provide extensive training to our people on strategies that promote wellbeing. Some of these can be found in our Top Ten Tips publication, produced by our dementia-specialist Admiral Nurses. Two key themes that we reinforce in our training can be found below.

10 Top Tips For Supporting People With Dementia

Read our 10 Top Tips For Supporting People With Dementia.

10 Top Tips For Supporting People With Dementia

Dementia Care

Image

1. Be a ‘dementia detective’

Knowing the person and their life story is more vital than ever when supporting people with dementia.


When we deliver dementia training to our team members we often talk about becoming ‘dementia detectives’, learning to piece together the phrases, signals and behaviour of residents and relate them to important life events and relationships for each individual.


An ability to read these signals and understand the indicators of wellbeing and tension make it easier for carers to promote a positive frame of mind and help residents move to a better place when they are distressed. We believe that the person living with dementia is the expert and we need to take our lead from that person.
 

Image

2. Celebrate the person today

Equally important to us though, are all the things we don’t know and the appreciation that residents continue to have an emotional life in the present. We believe it is just as important to ’take people as we find them’ and not focus exclusively on the past.
Much of caring is simply about relating to people ‘person to person’ and reaching out to them in the here and now – a smile, affection and good humour all help to ensure quality of life today and tomorrow. We often describe it as ‘a long goodbye, with lots and lots of hellos.’
Similarly, activities that ‘go with the flow’ are often the most successful – listening to music, dancing, singing, sharing in simple games.
As many people have observed, it’s often easier for people who haven’t known the person with dementia in the past to relate to them today and to ‘step into their world’. Our advice to loved ones is to take time to get to know your new mum or dad and you can still celebrate the wonder of who the person is today.