Top tips for people living with dementia

Most of us know someone who is affected by dementia, but did you know that dementia is actually an umbrella term and there are over 200 different types and sub-types of dementia? 

It’s been a year now since Hospiscare partnered with Dementia UK to sponsor a new role within Hospiscare - an Admiral Nurse (specialist dementia nurse).

During this time Chrissy, our Admiral Nurse, has been working to provide the specialist dementia support that families require. She has worked with 30 families offering psychological support and expert advice and guidance to enable them and their loved one living with a dementia to be able to adapt and prepare for the changes that occur within the dementia trajectory.

Chrissy uses a range of techniques to help people live positively, develop skills to improve communication and to maintain family relationships. She also works with other healthcare professionals so that people's differing needs are addressed in a coordinated way.
 

We caught up with Chrissy to find out what advice she would give someone who is living with dementia:

1. You can live well despite a diagnosis of dementia. 
2. Make sure that you receive an assessment and diagnosis of what type of dementia as that will determine the appropriate  level of support and response that is needed to be able to live well within the diagnosis.
3. Don’t let dementia stop you from doing anything. There is always a way through - it might just mean rethinking the approach to the activity.
4. Eat well and exercise  as much as possible . A brisk walk 20-30 minutes a day is great for lifting the mood. 
5. Don’t ‘isolate’ people you know with dementia. It may be that they are not as spontaneous in conversation and ideas as they might have been but they are still your loved one. They will need you to provide the spontaneity that perhaps the dementia has ‘stolen’. We all require company and conversation. We need society and the contact of others to help us maintain our sense of identity and sense of belonging. That doesn’t change with dementia. It is up to us to keep that going for our loved ones and friends who are living with dementia!

If you'd like to find out more about Chrissy and her role at Hospiscare, click here. 

Hospiscare is a local charity, providing free, high quality care and support to people with any type of life-limiting illness, and those close to them, in Exeter, Mid and East Devon.  A gift to Hospiscare in your Will helps to ensure the future of the charity in Devon for generations to come.