Dementia – it touches and affects us all

The BBC this week is airing two programmes showing two different sides of dementia care.

Panorama on Monday 23^rd April 2012 8.30pm reveals the appalling treatment of a resident with dementia within an “excellent” care home, captured on film by a relative’s hidden camera.

Loius Theroux – Extreme Love on Thursday 26^th April 2012 9.00pm travels to the dementia capital of Phoenix, Arizona and spends time with both dementia patients and their loved ones charting the struggle of keeping relationships alive in the most challenging of circumstances.

Dementia affects approximately 820,000 people in the UK of which 15,000 are under the age of 65.   With those sorts of figures, everyone is likely to be affected in some way whether it is a friend or relative who is diagnosed, or you yourself, unfortunately, receives a diagnosis.

The term dementia is used collectively to describe a number of symptoms including memory loss, difficulties in reasoning and communicating and a reduction in ability to manage day to day life skills.   The most common form of dementia is Alzheimers or “old timers” as a number of our clients have called it.

To view the BBC Panorama link – click here

To view the BBC Loius Theroux – Extreme Love link – click here