Ad copy

🗨️ "In June 2019, Mum called me to say someone had broken into her house. Later that day, the police let me know that she had called them but there wasn’t anybody in her house. That’s when I knew something wasn’t right. Mum was diagnosed with mixed dementia in August 2019. I think it’s important that culturally appropriate care is given in care settings. There have been times when my mum’s care home has called me to say that she was refusing to eat. When I visited at lunchtime, I knew she wouldn’t eat it as it wasn’t a type of food that she would recognise. So I had to either cook for Mum myself or provide sweet potato and pumpkin to the chef. Mum had afro hair so I provided shampoo for the care home. The product needed to be worked into her hair but the carers didn’t know how to do it. I started washing Mum’s hair when I visited to make sure it was done properly." - Elene 🗨️ "It’s absolutely heartbreaking what Elene’s mum went through. When it comes to dementia, there isn’t a ’one size fits all’ approach. We need to ask, 'Who is this person before me? What do they eat? What music do they like to listen to? What makes them happy?' This is how we provide culturally appropriate care." - Admiral Nurse Safia 💙 Safia, an Admiral Nurse for Black, African and Caribbean communities, and Elene, whose mum lived with mixed dementia, offer insight and reassurance for families who feel unseen or misunderstood in dementia care. Listen to their story on 'My life with dementia', wherever you get your podcasts: https://www.dementiauk.org/information-and-support/resources/podcast/?misc=mlwd26s3&utm_campaign=mlwd26s3&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social