When Someone with Dementia Appears to Be Hallucinating
A practical guide to understanding hallucinations in dementia, including possible causes, when to seek medical advice, and how to respond with confidence and reassurance.
Low Blood Pressure in Dementia: What to Look For and Why It Matters
Sometimes, changes that look like “part of the dementia” are actually the body responding to something physical. Low blood pressure is more common in dementia than many people realise — here’s what to look for, why it happens, and what you can do.
GPS Trackers and Dementia: Safety, Choice, and Ethical Considerations
A clear and balanced guide to GPS trackers in dementia care. Explore how they work, the different types available, and the ethical considerations around safety, independence, and choice.
Dementia Lanyards: Helpful Signal or Unfair Expectation?
People occasionally suggest that individuals living with dementia should wear a badge or lanyard identifying their condition to prevent misunderstandings in public. While the idea appears helpful at first glance, it raises important questions about dignity, stigma, safeguarding, and where responsibility for understanding should sit.
The Orchestra Analogy: Understanding How Dementia Affects the Brain
A clear and accessible explanation of the orchestra analogy as a way of understanding how dementia affects interconnected brain networks over time. This piece explores how different abilities may change at different rates, why coordination becomes harder, and how this perspective can support more compassionate, responsive approaches to care and support.
Why Language Matters in Dementia: More Than Just “Words”
The words we use to talk about dementia shape how people are viewed, treated, and understood. Terms like “dementia patient” and “dementia sufferer” create powerful mental images rooted in loss, frailty, and dependency. This article explores why language matters, how it can reinforce stigma, and why person-centred terms such as “person living with dementia” better reflect dignity, identity, and lived experience.
The Limp Mode Analogy
An accessible way of understanding what happens in the brain in the later stages of dementia, using the “limp mode” analogy to explain why some abilities reduce over time while emotional responses can remain strong. This piece explores neurological change, emotional safety, and what this means for everyday care and support.
Aggression and Violence in Dementia: Understanding Prevalence, Definitions and Context
Aggression and violence in dementia are widely discussed but often misunderstood. This article explains how researchers define and measure these behaviours, what the latest evidence suggests about prevalence across dementia types, and why context matters. It also offers practical, reassuring guidance for family carers on what can help reduce risk.
Why Dementia Affects More Than One Part of the Brain (and Why That Matters)
Dementia affects connected brain systems rather than a single isolated area. This post explains how different dementias involve different brain networks, why changes tend to widen over time, and how this understanding supports more inclusive, compassionate responses.
Dementia Drug Trials: What’s Being Researched in Australia and the UK — and What It Means in Practice
Dementia drug trials are taking place internationally, including in Australia and the UK. This post explains what current research is exploring, why new medicines take so long to reach everyday use, and why UK research is also focusing on repurposing existing drugs — alongside the continuing importance of good care and support.