Day 27: Dementia Awareness Month 2014

I was alerted to this video by a student at the University of Wollongong, and thought it was worthwhile adding to my blog. Generally I worry when a book or video claims to know what living with dementia is like, when it has been produced by people who are not in fact living with dementia, but the messages in this one are quite important just the same, and the inclusion of people with dementia makes it more valid.

Whilst I have not been able to download the video here, even though I registered as a user of the site which it said I had to do to be able to download it, you can still see it here. It is based on interviews with four people living with reasonably advanced dementias, and their families, and is very honest. What spoke the loudest to me was the last couple of minutes, where they all emphasised they are ‘still all there’…

Key messages for practice

1. People living with dementia can still be alert and aware of their condition
2. It is important to know the person with advancing dementia as an individual and support them to maintain their own identity
3. Although dementia causes the loss of some abilities, people’s feelings remain intact; it is essential to empathise with people’s emotions
4. Caring and supportive relationships help people to cope with the difficult experience of living with advancing dementia.

What is the video about?

This brutally honest film reminds us that although dementia causes the loss of some abilities, people’s feelings remain intact. The people in this film talk about their emotions: fear, guilt, embarrassment, isolation and powerless. They give a deeply moving and personal insight into an often overlooked aspect of the condition.

The film shows how supportive relationships with families, friends and professional carers can play a key role in supporting people with dementia. The film is a powerful reminder of the importance of getting to know the person with advancing dementia as an individual and to help support them to maintain their own identity.

Who will find this useful?

Care staff, social workers, care managers, carers, community nurses, nursing staff, people with dementia, people who use services, employers, trainers, families, friends and neighbours.