What I Wish People Knew About Dementia: From Someone Who Knows

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What she has to say, Wendy warns us, may come as a surprise. The first surprise is that amnesia plays such a minor role in living with dementia.

I can type as though dementia never entered my world as that part of my brain has not yet been affected, but that often works against me as people question my diagnosis. All I can say is, live a day in my shoes and I’m sure the reality will dawn. I do travel around the country a lot going to conferences on dementia but people see me and think it is easy for me. Reading this book felt like walking down on memory lane of remembering my grandma. I now understand that dementia isn't just about memory loss and confusion, but includes hallucination, delusion, depression, paranoia and disorientation. This would impact one's emotion, what they see and listen, as well as how they eat, walk and make friends (basically any activity on daily basis). Always make sure you talk to your loved one, not the disease. How would you like to be spoken to by people that you meet? With kindness and respect, of course. If you have a relative with dementia, and patience isn’t your forte, well now is the time to practise. The words “hurry up” promote panic: we cannot hurry up! Our brains are incapable of multitasking.What can a diseased brain tell us about being human, living our own lives better and helping those with dementia get the best from theirs? Wendy regularly travels to conferences and events giving talks on dementia and has written a bestselling memoir about her experiences called Somebody I Used to Know. More recently she wrote What I Wish People Knew About Dementia: From Someone Who Knows. What is early onset dementia?

The vet said Billy has to lose weight; he must be getting fed somewhere else because his diet isn’t working. You are only giving him a few biscuits when you’re on Billy duty, aren’t you mum?”’ The text also includes anonymous input from her friends with dementia, and excerpts from recent academic research on what can help. Mitchell and others with Alzheimer’s often feel written off by their doctors – her diagnosis appointment was especially pessimistic – but her position is that the focus should be on what people can still do and adaptations that will improve their everyday lives. Mitchell lives alone in a small Yorkshire village and loves documenting the turning of the seasons through photographs she shares on social media. She notes that it’s important for people to live in the moment and continue finding activities that promote a flow state, a contrast to some days that pass in a brain haze. Peter says, ‘The individual sections are mines of useful information, drawn up in a storytelling way with humorous anecdotes helping to illustrate the points. Communication, Wendy reminds us, need not always be verbal, but it is important to keep talking, even when there is a confused response. After all, we chatter lovingly to babies despite the fact that they can’t understand us. The biggest thing, me and my daughters have learnt through having dementia, is the power of talking.Like Mitchell, What I Wish People Knew About Dementia is both informative and full of heart. Those who read it will learn more about dementia. I suspect, they’ll also learn about themselves. Worried about a planned hospital stay? Looking for advice on choosing a care home that's right for you or a loved one? Our free, confidential, national phone service is open 8am-7pm, 365 days a year.