It has been a few weeks now since the Alzheimer’s Society launched the video based around the message that ‘people with dementia die again and again and again’ It has been concerning to see what has unfolded in recent weeks because of this advert. It has caused a lot of distress, anguish and fear, and […]
Above quote from the York Minds and Voices Dementia Strategy. At the UK Dementia Congress in November last Year, Professor Claire Surr delivered the Tom Kitwood memorial address. It was based on her in depth study on ‘What works in dementia education and training’. It’s a great piece of work. Professor Surr rightly highlighted the importance […]
I had just moved into a new house in Tottenham. There was a Large Swedish Home Furnishings shop nearby, and I was keen to try out the idea of flat-pack furniture for the first time. I’d get back with my large box. Unpack it. Lay out all the bits of wood, screws, plastic plugs and […]
A New Year can often feel like a time of change. We write commitments and resolutions to be more active, develop ourselves, lose some things, gain others, transform into the person we once were or would like to be. But the Almanac I received as a kind Christmas gift says that, contrary to popular belief, […]
With my retirement date at the end of 2023 looming, it feels like a good time to reflect back on almost half a century of ‘work life’. So please indulge me while I reminisce just a little! Perhaps because my Dad was bipolar (or ‘manic depressive’ as it was then called), I have, I think, […]
In spite of frequent calls for it, more time, more money and more staff to solve our issues in health and social care will not be forthcoming. The need to revisit how many of us operate has become increasingly pressing. We must innovate. People did not stop getting dementia during lockdown, nor did dementia go […]
There will soon be over a million people living with dementia in the UK – and each and every one of them is disabled, not only by the symptoms and challenges of the condition itself, but by many unnecessary societal and environmental barriers. While others are working on treatments and cures which may help those […]
The wonderful folk at Mindcare YODA adding their voices As we look back over the last 10 years, there’s a lot to think about. ….but probably the words that most readily spring to mind aren’t the ones we would have imagined when we started. Warmth Friendship. Love. None of which lend themselves to the […]
It is 10 years since the DEEP network emerged from an important piece of scoping work by the Mental Health Foundation. Throughout 2022 we have been celebrating this significant anniversary with people from across the DEEP network. We have been celebrating and honouring DEEP’s many voices and achievements. Across the year there have been 17 […]
One of the most powerful things we can do as human beings is to use our voices. We use them to tell our stories, make our opinions heard, and to stake our place at the human table. In the last decade or so, people are getting their voices heard more widely and more loudly than […]