Dementia is not one condition and it does not follow one path. Vascular dementia, Lewy body and frontotemporal dementia all behave differently, and what helps in the early stages can be wrong later on.
We build the care plan around the person in front of us — their stage, their triggers and the abilities they still have — and we change it as things change.
Dementia care runs alongside personal care and can extend to full live-in support as needs grow.
What we do in year one is not what we do in year four.
Recognising what sets off distress and heading it off calmly.
Doing things with your loved one rather than for them, for as long as possible.
Wandering, kitchen safety and night-time risk, handled without confrontation.
Honest conversations about what is happening and what usually comes next.
