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MindMate Blog

Explaining Dementia to Kids and Young People

7/4/2016

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by Ambra Giuliano
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​When a family member develops dementia, it will inevitably affect family life. Finding out about the condition and coping with it, can be distressing for anyone, including children and young people.

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Circle of Life

6/3/2016

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by Johanna Voss
I get it. As one person dies, another is born. We come from the Earth and we end up back in the earth when our time is over.

You could be super practical about how the circle unfolds.  We are born, move to diapers, then pull ups, transitioning to big kid pants and then back to pull ups and adult diapers before we move onto our next chapter.


As little ones are learning to walk, they grab onto tables, chairs and eventually playthings with wheels - providing stability and making walking a bit easier. On the other end of the circle, adult walkers are introduced (just not as pretty and colorful as the kid version).


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What to Do if a Person with Dementia Wanders?

5/31/2016

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by Max Gottlieb
In last weeks blogpost you read about why people with dementia often wander. Part two gives you tips for what to do if it happens or how to prevent it! 
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James' Story

5/18/2016

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We are proud to share James’ dementia journey with his Mum with all of you. James is the founder of Unforgettable and we are beyond excited to partner up with this fantastic shop, resource and support platform for people with dementia. I must say that I have hardly ever met someone who is as enthusiastic, full of energy and passionate about what he’s doing as James. He also made me wish I’d known Fay and David as they have raised inspirational and truly loving children.
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Read about Fay’s and James’ dementia journey:
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A Day in Tommy’s Life - Video Blog Post with Tommy Whitelaw

4/25/2016

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​We wish you all a happy Monday and are excited to be able to provide you with a new video blog post we shot with Tommy Whitelaw. The question we asked him was a very simple one and we actually intended it to be more like a warm up. His answer to it has surprised us. It shows how important it is to be grateful and how wonderful it is to find purpose in something you are doing.

​Find out what gives Tommy sense of purpose every single day:

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Would You Do Something Differently Today? – Video Blog Post with Tommy Whitelaw

4/4/2016

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Sometimes, when we look back at our lives, we linger on one specific moment or period when we wish we had done things differently. Having to care for someone with dementia can be a stressful situation and we maybe sometimes make decisions we would like to change. The nagging question “What if…? ” won’t leave us alone. We also asked Tommy if there was something that he would do differently today. Watch the video and find out what he said:

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Is There a Perfect Environment for People Living with Dementia? - Video Blog Post with Tommy Whitelaw

3/30/2016

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I have recently watched a documentary about the different kinds of care facilities there are in the world. No matter if we are speaking about the famous fenced-in dementia village in the Netherlands or a small care home with individual carers for each person in Thailand that does not have fences at all; all of them have their advocates and critics. 
We spoke to Tommy and asked him what the perfect place for someone with dementia is in his opinion. Watch the video and find out what he said:

"Whatever we are doing, we gonna' be really person-centered, people-centered, and I think actually family-centered."

"Everyone should have an open space."

"I think sometimes we spend too much time trying to design what dementia should look like for others."

"It's a place that matters to that person."

What do you think? Do you agree with Tommy? Let us know in the comment section!
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Friendship & Dementia - Video Blog with Tommy Whitelaw

3/21/2016

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Everyone knows that our lives would just be half as much fun without friends. Some friendships last forever; others just aren’t destined to survive longer than a year. Being confronted with dementia can often take a big toll on friendships, not only for the person with dementia but also for the caregiver. Tommy Whitelaw spoke to us about why friendship is important to him and what he learned while caring for his mum.

“One day you wake up and you’re quite alone.”

“We have to encourage conversations.”

“Friendships are an incredible thing and we shouldn’t allow dementia to destroy that.”

“Every friendship holds a memory and every memory is important.”


Thank you, Tommy, for speaking with us and being our friend! We agree: Friendships are incredibly important! 
What have your experiences with dementia and friendships been like? Why are friendships important to you? Leave us a comment!
We also would like to use this blog post to thank our friends and families who supported us through the whole MindMate journey! We are very grateful. 
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Music & Dementia - Video Blog with Tommy Whitelaw

3/14/2016

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The Music section in MindMate is one of the most popular areas of our app. Two of our previous blog posts (1 & 2) have been about this topic and we are happy that Tommy spoke to us about it in the video blog series. Watch the video to see why he thinks that music has an incredible part to play in dementia. 

“When my mum was struggling a little bit with speech and conversations, I would sing to my mum. “

“The little things are the big things, really.“

“You could be anywhere and a song can come on on and it reminds you of the summer, a holiday you had, the good times…”

“It reminds us, it celebrates us and it brings up stories.”
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We don’t have much to add to this, as Tommy absolutely spoke from our hearts as well. Music is truly powerful! 
What are your experiences with music and what is your favorite song? We also would love to get feedback for MindMate’s music feature! Let us know what you think in the comment section. 
Download the MindMate App and check out the music section!
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Dealing with angry behaviour - Tommy Whitelaw Video Blog

3/7/2016

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We hope you all had a lovely weekend and a good Monday!
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This week’s video blog post deals with a very important topic in the field of dementia. People with dementia may sometimes behave aggressively, either physically or verbally, and this can be very stressful for the person and for their caregivers. Although people with dementia have the same needs as everyone they may be unable to recognise their needs. They often don’t know how to meet these needs or even communicate them to others. This is clearly frustrating and can lead to angry behaviour. It is essential for caregivers to try to understand the reasons behind this behaviour although it might be hard sometimes.
Tommy also experienced situations like that while caring for his mum. Watch the video to find out how he dealt with it:

"​I didn't know what to do then. I didn't understand myself."

"Professionals are quite quick to medicate."

"I would just take my mum for a little walk around the garden."

"What triggers off certain things?"


Although it is a very difficult situation for the caregiver, it should not be forgotten that the person with dementia is having a hard time as well. There are ways of reacting to challenging situations like this:
  • Speaking to the person and giving them the feeling of being understood and listened to is very important.
  • Listening to music that the person likes or that usually calms them can help.
  • Make sure the person spends enough time interacting with other people as social isolation can make you unhappy and frustrated as well.
  • Reminiscence activities can be very helpful as well, as they take the mind off the negative feeling people might experience.
  • Physical activities or exercises can help as well, as they reduce agitation.
  • Sometimes, just changing the environment a little can already help. Little changes, of for example lighting or temperature, can improve the surroundings for the person with dementia.
Let us know how you deal with angry behaviour and share your tips with us in the comments section!
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  • What is Memory loss?
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