Comments on: Home

By: Andy Bradley

Andy Bradley — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:39:52 +0000

Just back from a epic adventure at the Coming of Age Dementia Congress hosted by the Dementia Services Development Centre from Stirling in Scotland.
I will be sharing a report on the event but for now just wanted to say how touched and humbled we felt. We met some deeply inspiring people and were so encouraged by the response to both the Knowing You Matter training materials and to our approaches to living values in care. We met so many amazing people but for now I want to mention Judith and her beautiful art and poetry project in relation to the journey of her mother through Alzheimers, Sheena who shared with us her story and that of Archie, her husband who she cares for with relentless love and Vic – 79 years young, MBE and prolific dementia trainer…and Karen from Dementia South Africa whose warmth and love filled the room.
…and special thanks to Roxanne (Ph d student) who shared her passion, the painful lessons and her determination to see a better way of caring.
too many to mention here – an honour to hear the stories and to witness so many hearts beating for compassion. There is much to be done. Onwards!
Andy

By: Helen Zeida

Helen Zeida — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 19:19:56 +0000

Having seen the film and listened to the audio companion….something strikes me as unique about this film experience, as opposed to other resources I have ever seen. It is that the genuine and very clever invitation is to imagine myself and my loved ones in this situation, to acknowledge and understand what I want and need and to translate this into what society and care homes must provide…because those are also universal needs. It has personalised it for me, made it harder to ignore and easier to perceive – that’s the beauty of this approach. It will be transformative when used as part of training with teams who are open to really living the core values for quality care. It is clear, through Andy’s consideration of what this actually means in practice why and how these values are essential – and I applaud Andy and the team at Frameworks 4 Change for the skillful way they have addressed this often elusive area.

By: Meirion Harries

Meirion Harries — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 11:42:17 +0000

The World Alzheimer Report released today tells us that that cases of dementia are set to double over the next 20 years – so there could be no better time to ask how we want care in our old age to be.

You need to watch this film more than once. The emotional impact of the first viewing may obscure the issues raised and drown the pleas for a sea change in the way we think about care and about our own impending old age.

By: Lorraine Morgan

Lorraine Morgan — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:15:30 +0000

I have only watched the clips but they are powerful and indicate what I have felt about my focus on providing care and being involved in policy and education for a long time. It is the sort of film that needs to be watched at a time when practitioners are reflecting on their practice for that day.
Being a care worker/professional means that there MUST be agreed values that underpin your practice and they really should be seen in action and focussed on a relationship centred approach to care.

By: danny walsh

danny walsh — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 08:55:40 +0000

Thank you for making this powerful and emotional film and championing the cause. The very valid points the film makes reflect a legacy of poor care whereby we have to a degree warehoused many of our elders into homes where personal identity and individualised, person centred care are often lacking. The politics of this scenario cannot be easily ignored. Many care workers are struggling to do their best to improve the lives of their residents but are usually battling against low staffing levels a change in which would make it much easier to improve the quality of life and care. Improving or maintaining the quality of life for an older person with dementia can be regarded as one of the hardest tasks in the caring professions. It is a highly specialised role and requires high levels of skill, knowledge and patience. Yet the rewards for performing such a role are to find yourself in one of the lowest paid jobs available, with wages often lower than stacking the shelves at the local supermarket. Part of the answer has to be better funding, to increase staffing levels and provide care workers with more training and an adequate reward and career structure. We know what good care should be like. Are we prepared to fund it?

By: dementiaadventure

dementiaadventure — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:48:57 +0000

Having worked with Frameworks for change and Andy Bradley for some time now I am continually amazed and heartened by your work. The change is happening, knowing you matter is a key part of this change – well done to you and all the older people in the film for your courage in undertaking this film. Excellent web page for it too – good to see other peoples comments – a community in action!
Neil Mapes
Director of Dementia Adventure
2010 Clore Social Fellow

By: Jakki Cowley

Jakki Cowley — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:31:22 +0000

Have only had the opportunity to look at the clips and keen to watch the rest of the DVD as this looks fantastic, makes the world of both the Mental Capacity Act and caring for those who are unable to fully say how they wish to be cared for much more real which is so important. Sadly too often those with a ‘diagnosis’ are treated in a way that doesn’t recognise who they are but what their ‘label’ states and so it’s fantastic to see some work being done in this area.

By: Angela Auset

Angela Auset — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:34:40 +0000

I’ve watched the clips and thought they were excellent: 4 different perspectives. My mother is 91 with dementia, and I could identify with aspects of all four clips. I thought that the film needs to be seen as widely as possible. It could be used with staff, with families who have someone with dementia, and with the general public wanting to try to understand what has become a very frightening issue for many people. I think it will help change people’s understanding.

By: Craig Brown

Craig Brown — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:10:33 +0000

I have viewed the DVD now twice and think it is brilliant. Beautifully filmed, profound and sensitively handled, Congratulations to everyone involved.

There are some very powerful and important messages in the film. I can see this DVD being shown in chunks in a workshop setting for groups of care workers. Showing a section then stopping for discussion. It makes an ideal training experience where I think real learning can happen.

Dr Craig Brown, Chairman British Holistic Medical Association

By: yvonne

yvonne — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 00:05:54 +0000

There is so much to learn from other cultures on the way elderly people are viewed in this country. The elderly person is seen as a person with life experience to offer the young, they often live with their families and the care is shared. Im often disillusioned by the choices elderly people are given, usually its hospital or a nursing home. Nursing homes are seen as the “waiting room for god”. We have to change our whole attitude towards elderly people and that starts within ourselves and teaching our children.