Alzheimer’s Society Cupcake Day 2021
The Older and Vulnerable Client team as well as the whole firm at Longmores is proud to support the Alzheimer’s Society Cupcake Day.
Today several of us have baked cupcakes to join in and with many of us working from home, this virtual cupcake day has enabled us to share stories and join in.
According to current statistics approximately 1.3% of the population in the UK are living with dementia a percentage that is increasing year on year.
Alzheimer’s is by far the most common type of dementia, accounting for approximately 62% of people living with dementia.
Simply, dementia is a disease of the brain, and the most common symptom is memory loss, with typically the most recent memories being lost first and the earliest memories being lost last. Memories are not lost in a fixed chronological order but in a more haphazard or random way. Other symptoms such as changes in vision and perception are also common, which can lead to difficulties with misjudging distances and general difficulties with special awareness, as well as not being able to recognise everyday objects.
A person with dementia may find it difficult to remember words and to follow a conversion. As a result, you need to give someone with dementia more time to process questions as well as to answer them.
Day to day tasks such as using a knife and fork or getting washed and dressed can also become more difficult as co-ordination can also be affected.
There is still a great public lack of knowledge and understanding of the disease and how to interact with someone living with dementia. This can add to difficulties faced by those with dementia, as it may affect their social lives and they may lose friends.
It is important to remember that someone living with dementia is still the same person – you can still talk to them! They still want to have conversations and participate in life!
From time to time they may still get confused, but if you offer support and help (opposed to taking over) as they will still want to stay as independent as possible.
It is important to be patient, as it may take longer for them to process information and come to a decision.
Get in touch
Charles Fraser is a dementia friend and Head of the Older and Vulnerable client team at Longmores. Please get in touch with Charles if you would like to discuss how you might need to set provisions in place to protect your loved ones.
