Website Resources

Dementia

The word ‘Dementia’ is an umbrella term used to describe a variety of brain disorders, which result in the progressive and long term loss of brain function to the sufferer. Current statistics reveal that the chances of developing dementia increase with age - one in 50 people between the ages of 65 - 70 years have some form of dementia, compared to one in 5 people over the age of 80 years. The most common type of dementia are Alzheimer’s Disease, Vascular Dementia and Dementia with Lewy Bodies.

Diagnosing dementia is often difficult (particularly in the early stages), as the illness affects each individual differently, over different time scales. Some of the first signs may include memory problems (especially with short term memory recall), mood changes, or problems with communication. However, memory loss does not necessarily mean that you have dementia. Memory loss can be a normal effect of the ageing process, as well as a result of stress of depression. Dementia-like symptoms can also be caused by vitamin deficiencies and/or brain tumour. If you are concerned that you, a friend or family member may have dementia, you should consult your GP in the first instance

Medical research is being carried out continuously to investigate these disorders (what causes them, and how they can be treated). Although there is still no known cure for the illness, there are treatments available that may relieve some of the symptoms.

Further information on dementia can be obtained from the following websites:

The Alzheimer’s Society - www.alzheimers.org.uk
The Alzheimer’s Society is a charitable organisation which works to improve the quality of life of those affected by dementia in England, Wales and N Ireland. It’s website contains valuable information and resources about dementia.

Social Care Institute for Excellence - Dementia Gateway - www.scie.org.uk/publications/dementia/index.asp
Although primarily intended for those who work with dementia suffers in nursing, residential or domiciliary settings, the Dementia Gateway provides a wide variety of useful information on dementia and its symptoms. It is particularly recommended that people wishing to know more about dementia access the resources and video footage contained within the "About dementia" section.

Dementia from the inside – a new video from SCIE that helps you experience a little of what it’s like to live with dementia - LINK

Social Care Institute for Excellence - Open Dementia ELearning Programme - http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/elearning/dementia/index.asp
This resource provides a general introduction to the illness, and the experience of living with dementia.

In addition to the resources above, further information on the subject can be found from the following resources:

Graham Stokes - Dr Stokes, a consultant clinical psychologist with over 20 years specialising in Dementia has been instrumental in the development of person-centred approaches to care and published a series of books on dementia. A five minutes video by Graham Stokes covering what is dementia is available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-ILROXBZ8M .

Teepa Snow is an expert in dementia who trains and consults for organisations and families. She has published several resources in relation to understanding how dementia effects the person. Her website is at: http://www.teepasnow.com/ .

Naomi Feil – is the developer of validation therapy - how we respond in a way that validates the person. She has just published resources on validation techniques for dementia care: http://www.vfvalidation.org/web.php?request=resources .

DVD’s