The book is written mainly for the person caring for or sharing their life with a person living with dementia, from diagnosis to considering a care home,’ she says. Finding the Light in Dementia: a guide for families, friends and caregivers’ (2nd Edition) is the essential self help book that explains common changes that can occur in those living with dementia. By offering valuable approaches, tips and suggestions interspersed with individuals' stories, the reader can learn to care for and maintain a connection with their loved one (care partner). Whether you’re a spouse, partner, daughter, son, sibling, friend or even a parent caring for a loved one living with dementia, this book is for you. Finding the Light in Dementia will help give you more confidence to care by: Burholt, V., Davies, J., Boyd, M., Mullins, J.M., Shoemark, E.Z. and Centre for Ageing, Dementia Research, Expert Review Group on Continence, Dementia, 2020. A research agenda for promoting continence for people living with dementia in the community: Recommendations based on a critical review and expert‐by‐experience opinion. Journal of Clinical Nursing.

Janet feels the book was written with compassion for both the person with dementia and those supporting them. When my mother and I were caring for my grandmother in the late 80s/early 90s there was little advice and no guidance as to how to cope with someone suffering from Alzheimer’s. In Alice’s case it became so acute, my nan became a mute. We reached out to doctors, politicians anyone but to no avail. If only Dr Jane Mullins book was around at the time we would have had a friend to turn to. If you are looking after a loved one with this awful disease (now the biggest killer in the UK) and don’t know which way to turn then help is at hand. Jane’s book ‘Finding the Light in Dementia: a guide for families, friends and caregivers is the essential self-help book that explains common changes that can occur in those living with dementia. Let Dr Jane’s words be your friend. Russell Grant Coaching health and social care undergraduate students in Personal and Professional Development at Cardiff Metropolitan University. It’s absolutely amazing, I think it should be compulsory reading for everybody at the start of dementia. I wish it had been around when my husband started developing it.” -- Elizabeth Cox, Wife and Caregiver

Compassion 

As well as the above, the platform will provide resources for people living with dementia and their families that will help them to stay connected: this includes our Suitcase of Memories toolkit. There are quotes from people with dementia and others, which provide relevancy and break up the chapters. I found it easy to read and absorb.’ ‘It is very easy to read, with lots of advice about everyday practicalities,’ says Janet. An assessment may also include recommending aids such as raised toilet seats and grab rails that will help if your loved one is struggling with mobility.

Chapter 11, Caring for the caregiver, stresses not ignoring the emotional, physical and social upheaval that you are experiencing. The tips about not coping alone and for looking after yourself are clearly described and valuable. Gina Awad, BEM, Founder & Lead, Exeter Dementia Action Alliance & Dementia Activist "Finding the Light in Dementia Care created and driven by Jane Mullins offers a holistic approach and will undoubtedly make a tremendous difference to all health and social care staff. We all need support, whoever we are, no matter what we do, but working in the care sector often means we are natural empaths. Therefore, it’s needed that much more. Without caring for ourselves how can we care responsibly for others. I met Jane through our shared passion to make a difference in the world of dementia. She’s an inspirational human being and I champion her innovative creative initiative from the bottom of my heart."Through these resources , you will learn how to identify a person’s needs and work with their strengths. You will learn to care with confidence throughout all stages of the condition, as well as care for yourself. More Testimonials Listen to why Kimberley Littlemore, Director of eHealth Digital Media supports Finding the Light in Dementia Training for her and her parents I have felt personally and professionally supported by Jane when we were colleagues at Cardiff University. Jane is a very dynamic individual, who was keen to ensure students were supported to understand how best to provide empathetic care for people who are living with dementia and their families. It was a pleasure working alongside Jane in this role and I hope to collaborate with her further to promote empathy, care and compassion in dementia care. Accredited training available at Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced Levels via an online platform 24/7, 365 days a year for all staff for one affordable price. Mapped to occupational standards, Good Work, nurse training standards – All staff can access the training, wellbeing hub and additional resources anytime and anywhere to suit their busy lives. Remember memories and emotions are connected and people living with dementia can often remember the emotions associated with aspects of life more than the facts. Make sure you focus on positive memories while being mindful of yours and your partners possible painful memories that may come to the fore.

Whether you’re a family caregiver, health and social care professional, volunteer or member of the public who wants to understand more about Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, Finding the Light in Dementia can help you. Mullins, Jane M. Book Review: “Wandering the Wards: An Ethnography of Hospital Care and its Consequences for People Living with Dementia.” (2021): 14713012211054370.Gather props – you will probably find most things around your home, involve your care partner in collecting interesting objects. Think about sensory props such as an oily rag for a car enthusiast or the smell of sun cream lotion. If your loved one becomes a bit resistant to your prompts you could try and say something like “I think I need to go to the toilet before we go out, why don’t you go first?” If your partner is still working, you will need to consider discussing the diagnosis with their Human Resources/Personnel department and occupational health. Depending on their job and how their dementia is affecting them, employers should be able to offer some flexible working support or plans. They may also help with discussing pensions and possible future options. A diagnosis of dementia does not necessarily mean that they have to give up their job immediately but the roles that they undertake may change. Maybe start off with writing down their wants and not wants. For example, they may have specific religious and/or cultural beliefs that may influence what they eat or how they worship or they may wish to avoid certain medical treatment. It is important that their choices are documented and whilst, of course decisions can change, you have both taken some control in future planning.

Our vision is to to create an internationally accredited, cutting-edge multimedia dementia care training platform with a care staff well-being hub, to promote well, resilient staff who will provide compassionate dementia care throughout Covid and beyond - and is AFFORDABLE for all care providers! The first thing I want you to realise is, that this may not be a normal part of the condition, as other physical conditions and medication may also affect a person’s ability to stay continent. I know caregivers often don’t tend to seek help as they feel embarrassed and conscious of keeping their loved one’s dignity. But it is important to speak to your doctor and ask for a continence assessment for them. This is usually done by a specialist continence nurse who will be able to explore the cause in more detail, offer support and advice that may help and thereby reduce the embarrassment and stigma associated with it. Finding the Light in Dementia: a Guide for Families, Friends and Caregivers' is the essential self help book that helps you make sense of dementia. By offering valuable approaches, tips and suggestions interspersed with caregiver stories, the reader can learn to care for and communicate with their loved one (care partner). Whether you're a spouse, partner, daughter, son, sibling, friend, parent or paid caregiver, this book is for you. Finding the Light in Dementia will help give you more confidence to care by: -Supporting you through a diagnosis of dementia -Helping you understand what your care partner is experiencing -Teaching you ways to communicate and connect with each other -Helping you make subtle changes to your home to help your care partner feel safe and content - Introducing practical and creative ways to stimulate memories to help with day to day living =Showing you how to create lifestories together -Suggesting ways to keep your care partner interested and engaged in meaningful activities -Providing tips for sleeping, eating and drinking -Suggesting ways to help your care partner with their appearance and dignity -Showing you ways of overcoming the challenges of changing behaviour, reactions and responses -Helping reduce the effects of hallucinations, delusions and misperceptions -Suggesting ways for you to care for yourself -Involving families and friends -Giving advice when considering professional care at home and in residential careKnowing how tired and stressed you may feel, 'Finding the Light in Dementia' is written in bite sized chunks that makes it easy to follow. By giving you space to write down any points you would like to make and providing question sheets for you to refer to when speaking with your doctor and/or legal professionals you can make this your personal guide. When following the approaches in this book, you should find that your care partner will feel more understood and you will become calmer thereby helping you both find a sense of connection and continue to live well.A Suitcase of Memories multisensory toolkit activity for people living with dementia and their families to help them cope with the self-isolation caused by the pandemic; Caroline likes the way the book is structured. ‘The use of bullet points at the end of each chapter and the space for notes means a carer could jot down thoughts and consult it regularly.