hi,
i only joined this forum last night but from what i've read so far quite alot of people who care for family members with dementia are really in the dark about how this illness progresses & how it can affect the behaviour of the sufferer.
i know there are leaflets & web sites about that give out useful info but it doesn't prepare them for the reality of what comes.
i am a senior carer in an EMI home for older people with dementia & all our staff have had dementia training so we know mostly what to expect & why behaviour can change from day to day but i really feel for our residents families when they visit & their mother/father/husband/wife tells them to 'f' off or doesn't recognise them or they are running down the corridor taking off their clothes.nothing can prepare you for that,no leaflet or web site.
it would be great if,when there is a diagnosis of dementia that families could be offered a short 1 day course on what to expect & learn more about this awful illness.
i know when i started my job i was told the type of residents i would be caring for but as most people think,i assumed dementia was something a little old lady got when she was too old to remember things anymore.so as you know,how wrong was i!!!!
there are times when i get home from work so emotionally drained that i cry & my job isn't 1 that i can leave at work & forget about when i'm home so i can only imagine what it's like for families of sufferers not really knowing whats round the corner & how they'l cope with it.
my hat off to you all & my best wishes....
i only joined this forum last night but from what i've read so far quite alot of people who care for family members with dementia are really in the dark about how this illness progresses & how it can affect the behaviour of the sufferer.
i know there are leaflets & web sites about that give out useful info but it doesn't prepare them for the reality of what comes.
i am a senior carer in an EMI home for older people with dementia & all our staff have had dementia training so we know mostly what to expect & why behaviour can change from day to day but i really feel for our residents families when they visit & their mother/father/husband/wife tells them to 'f' off or doesn't recognise them or they are running down the corridor taking off their clothes.nothing can prepare you for that,no leaflet or web site.
it would be great if,when there is a diagnosis of dementia that families could be offered a short 1 day course on what to expect & learn more about this awful illness.
i know when i started my job i was told the type of residents i would be caring for but as most people think,i assumed dementia was something a little old lady got when she was too old to remember things anymore.so as you know,how wrong was i!!!!
there are times when i get home from work so emotionally drained that i cry & my job isn't 1 that i can leave at work & forget about when i'm home so i can only imagine what it's like for families of sufferers not really knowing whats round the corner & how they'l cope with it.
my hat off to you all & my best wishes....