When Kate Harwood went to visit her husband in hospital after he'd
had a prostate operation she couldn't find him. Marco, who had dementia,
had wandered off to the 16th floor and no-one on his ward had realised
he'd gone. "That first time he was in for an operation was a disaster,"
Harwood says. "There was no awareness of dementia and of what it might
do to him. I could never find anyone to talk to – I felt like banging my
head against a brick wall."
Sadly, hers is not an isolated example among those caring for people with dementia. According to the Carers Trust, carers
too often have to fight to get their voices heard and to be given the
information and advice they need, particularly in medical settings. A
recent report by the trust showed, for example, that more than half of
those caring for someone with dementia had not been given advice on
managing medication or incontinence and more than two-thirds had had no
support in dealing with the agitated behaviour people with dementia can
display, particularly as the condition worsens.
Full Article on Guardian Social Care Network
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