Welcome to Dementia Talking Point! Find out more and say hello.

[SophieD]

Welcome to Dementia Talking Point

If you have dementia, or care for someone who does, you're very welcome to join our community and get support from others. Find out more about how to join and say hi to our friendly community on this discussion!

Finding out more

If you've got questions about how to use Dementia Talking Point click on these links below.

• You can find answers to frequently asked questions here.
• Our Help videos will show you how to navigate the different areas of Dementia Talking Point.
• We also have a Quick Guide explaining how to use Dementia Talking Point including logging in, posting, replying, checking private messages and searching.
• Also we recommend having a read through our Guidelines which are some useful tips and things to remember when posting.

Connecting with others

Head over to our list of forums to find people who are in a similar situation, people at a similar stage of dementia or an information topic that interests you.

Here are some tips on how to post a reply or start your own discussion...

1. When you're in a forum, look for the blue "Post New Thread" or "Reply" buttons at the top or bottom of discussions

2. To start a discussion, type a title, add your message and choose 'Create Thread'.

3. To add a reply just add your message and choose "Reply"

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Any questions?


If you have any questions about using Dementia Talking Point, you can email us on talkingpoint@alzheimers.org.uk or Use our Contact Form - we're here to help.


Saying hello

This is our welcome thread - the place many members start. Our volunteer hosts and regular members are here to say hello to you and to welcome you to our community.

Why not tell us a little about your experience and how you'd like Dementia Talking Point to help you?

Whatever you're facing today, we hope you find our community to be helpful and supportive.

Sophie

 

[Genevieve]

Hello. my Mum has Alzheimer’s and has been living independently until last week. We had to seek somewhere safer for her when she started wandering at night, being confused about what she should do in the day and the retirement village told us they couldn’t guarantee her safety. She isn’t able to make this sort of decision herself but we tried to involve her in finding a care home for her. Covid meant we were not able to visit the home where she is beforehand though we had a video tour and friends spoke very highly of it. She is very unhappy and says that the people there are not her kind of people. As we haven’t seen the communal areas we can only imagine that the majority have more advanced dementia than her (she is unaware of her diagnosis) - should we have looked for somewhere different? She is obviously going to get worse but how do we manage the interim? Maybe this is something that is quite common?

 

[Jakjaw]

Hi I’m Julie
My dad 73 has recently been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia , vascular dementia and today we have had a d.a.t scan to check for possible Parkinson’s disease .
Dad at the moment still understands what’s going on around him , although he takes his time digesting the info.
He lost ability to read . Sort bills and finances early last year . His speech is getting bad now and people are looking to me to understand him . He’s currently still driving ( not far abs not often ) I check his driving and he’s getting slower. He’s drove artic lorry’s , taxis toed caravans ect since been 17 .
He can no longer use the phone, turn the tv / sky channel s over .
He goes to a gardening centre Thursday morning but really apart from myself going on a daily basis to cook , he has no help .
I’m just wondering if there was any face to face things for him to do? Any help / ideas would be much appreciated . Thanks Julie xx

 

[Sarasa]

Welcome @Genevieve and @Jakjaw to Dementia Talking Point. This is a very friendly and supportive place and you'll get lots of help and advice here. You might like to start your own threads as that will mean more people will see them and reply.
@Genevieve, I hope your mum has settled a bit more now. It's tricky at the moment when it is so difficult to visit easily and see for yourself how things are. What do the staff say? Often a person with dementia (PWD) will tell their loved ones how unhappy they are, but when they aren't there they are actually having a good or at least an OK time. The fact that others may have more advanced dementia is actually a good thing as it means the home will be able to cater for her needs as things progress. Do have a look round the site. the search bar at the top will help you. I typed in Moving to care home and got these hits, some of which might be of interest to you.
@Jakjaw I don't know if this page will have some useful information for you on services for your dad. Have you had an assessment from social services for his needs and for yours as a carer. Social Services are a bit stretched so you might have to wait sometime. Do you have Power of Attorney. If you do you could organise some carers to come in using his money. If you don't have POA now is the time to get it organised as it will be needed as things progress.

 

[lollyc]

Hi @Jakjaw, as well as searching as @Sarasa has suggested, it's also worth looking on his local council's Old Age Services, and having a general trawl of dementia activities in his area - obviously some are still not operating as pre-covid. You may well find church / community run lunch clubs etc., which don't get on the radar of the big organisations. Men in Sheds is also popular with some on here, and although not dementia specific can cope with people in the earlier stages. (I've just used the link above to search our postcode, and there is apparently very little in our area. However, many of the things Mum used to attend aren't listed, so don't be disheartened if it seems there isn't anything available.)

 

[Trishee]

Hello, I'm new to this forum

 

[Shedrech]

hello @Trishee
a warm welcome to DTP
we're a friendly and helpful community, so now you've joined us do start a thread of your own with anything that's on your mind and folk will off suggestions and sympathy

 

[Lizwood2918]

HI all I've joined this group for help coping with my father in law

 

[Bunpoots]

Hi @Lizwood2918 welcome to Dementia Talking Point.

We’ll do what we can to help ?

 

[Izzy]

HI all I've joined this group for help coping with my father in law

Welcome from me too. I’m sure you’ll find lots of help and support here.

 

[pudpud]

Hello all, I have a partner who has been diagnosed with Parkinsons with Dementia. Hoping to get support & provide support to others.
Sheila

 

[Shedrech]

hell @pudpud
a warm welcpme to DTP

you've definitely come to the right place for sharing support and experiences withh folk who understand
so have a mooch round the forums and post when you're ready with whatever is on your mind

 

[Lindawoo]

Thank you for inviting me
My mum is currently going through investigation to find out what kind of dementia she has
It’s affecting her short term memory
She stays in a sheltered housing complex and can manage simple daily living tasks
We write everything down for her but she still phoned several times a day to check things
My sister has applied for power of attorney as she can’t manage money and just ignores mail
I’m hoping this group can help me understand what she going through and how best to support her

 

[canary]

Hello @Lindawoo and welcome to Talking Point
It can be very overwhelming when you are going through the diagnostic process. Do feel free to mooch around the site and loin in the conversations, although do remember that not everything that you read about will happen to your and your mum. If there is something in particular that you want to talk about its best to start your own thread so that more people will see it.

 

[SophieD]

Thank you everyone for posting on this month's Welcome Thread. This one is now closed, but you can find the new Welcome Thread here: https://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/thr...ing-point-find-out-more-and-say-hello.130129/