Why a memory test is only one part of diagnosing dementia
A normal memory test score doesn’t rule out dementia. Learn why, what a full assessment involves, and practical steps to take when someone won’t see the GP.
GTKD Q&A
If the Brain Is Shrinking, Where Does the Extra Fluid Come From?
Brain scans taken during the assessment and progression of dementia often show increasing amounts of fluid around and within the brain. If the brain is shrinking, where is all that fluid coming from? This article explains what cerebrospinal fluid is, why it becomes more visible as dementia progresses, and what different types of brain scan can tell us — including why no scan can ever tell the whole story of a person living with dementia.
Why Do Professionals Use Different Dementia Assessment Tools — and What Happens When They Meet?
When supporting someone living with dementia, you may hear different professionals use different tools and different language to describe the same person. A doctor might refer to the Global Deterioration Scale. An occupational therapist might discuss Allen Cognitive Levels. A dementia specialist might talk about GEMS States. This article explains what each tool measures, why they exist alongside one another, and what happens when professionals from different disciplines meet to discuss a person’s care.
Understanding Hearing Changes in Dementia: Hearing, Brain Processing and Why It Matters
Dementia doesn’t affect the ears — it affects the brain. But when someone living with dementia struggles to follow conversation or doesn’t respond to sounds, it can look exactly like hearing loss. This article explores why, what the research tells us about auditory processing and dementia, and why standard hearing tests may not tell the whole story for someone living with moderate to advanced dementia.
Understanding Visual Changes in Dementia: Eyesight, Visual Fields and Brain Processing
Visual difficulties in dementia are not always caused by changes in the eyes. Explore the difference between eyesight, visual field testing and how the brain processes visual information.
Understanding Brain Changes and Fluctuating Abilities in Dementia
Dementia affects more than memory. Learn how changes within the brain can make abilities fluctuate, helping explain why someone can do something one moment and struggle the next.
Following the Clues: How the Environment Guides Us Every Day
Why do people living with dementia put on the wrong clothes, eat food that isn’t theirs, or reach for the wrong object? Before we can answer that, it helps to notice something about ourselves. We follow environmental cues every single day — automatically, without thinking. Understanding what changes when dementia affects the brain can shift the way we see, and the way we respond.
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.
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.
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.