I am taking ACTION this week..
I am one of approximately 600,000 people in the UK currently serving as an unpaid caregiver to someone with dementia. I have watched my mum’s cognitive decline for more than five years, and I can appreciate the sense of change and helplessness that loved ones often feel, being ill-equipped to manage stressful caregiving visits based on the mood or energy level of a loved one. Let's face it, the role of a caregiver is incredibly tough, especially as a friend or relative.
ReelLife Conversations was created to support people just like me. After my mum’s diagnosis, I started to research all I could find on dementia as a way to feel more in control of the road ahead. During the early days, reading material that talked about Mum’s fairly bleak future was too daunting and upsetting, and one of my great friends read those articles on my behalf and gently summarised for me. As I have learned more and become more confident in my role as a generational caregiver, I have found the research easier to digest, more relatable, and frankly, more empowering.
The areas of research that I found most interesting were about the importance of quality social and emotional caregiving and the need to move beyond the most basic physical interventions. Throughout my mum’s journey, I have found one of the most powerful ways to connect with her was through our family photos. Seeing people, places, and special times from the past gave us the time to reminisce, and in those moments, I saw her exhibit more calmness and peace. She was happier being able to contribute to our conversations, and it often produced a small laugh, a gentle smile, and sometimes even tears. All of these emotions were valid - we were unlocking memories that had been put into ‘storage’ together.
I won’t pretend that looking at photos together was always the answer or a long-lasting activity. We have hundreds of family memories, and sometimes we’d get stuck on one photo, unable to move forward because of a lack of recognition from either of us. She would become disengaged and I would get stuck on what to say next to move us along without it being obvious that she couldn’t remember something. Sadly, the activity would come to an abrupt halt. It was even harder when I wasn’t there to help. Without the context behind the photos, caregivers often struggled to keep the conversation going, leading to frustration for everyone.
Given my ‘day job’ career in technology, I wondered if there might be a way to help my mum and the other caregivers involved by bringing all those photos into an intelligent tool to help support and guide our conversations. The more people I spoke to about this idea, the more sure I felt that there was a way to bring this to life.
Over the next few weeks, we will share more about our journey to create ReelLife Conversations and provide more on what I believe is currently missing from the lives of so many people with dementia around the world, and how we aim to help caregivers and family members who need support. I look forward to introducing you to some of the amazing people that I have met along my journey - first up will be Dr Phil Joddrell, a Research Fellow at Dementia UK, and also at the University of Sheffield in the Centre for Assistive Technology and Connected Healthcare (CATCH).
Drumroll, please! Later this week, we will be sharing a sneak peek into ReelLife Conversations! We will share a pre-launch video that will show how caregivers and family members alike can bring old photos to life for people with dementia, unlocking memories with an easy, stress-free app.
Join our waitlist today to be one of the first to engage in a ReelLife Conversation with your loved one with dementia and follow the insights we’ll be sharing on social media and in this blog. Help us continue to build a community of caregivers by supporting each other in this often lonely walk, and improving moments in the daily lives of those people with dementia all over the world.
With much love to you and your loved one with dementia.
Louise x
#Dementia #Alzheimers #DementiaAwareness #AlzheimersAwareness #YouAreNotAlone