North Devon’s newest specialist dementia care home, Deer Park Nursing Home in Holsworthy, had its official opening last week with a ribbon-cutting by the mayor of Holsworthy, Councillor Jon Hutchings.
The ceremony was watched by colleagues from Camelot Care, the award-winning care group who run Deer Park, with dozens of local people turning up throughout the day to see what the new...
A Message from founder Gina Awad BEM and the board
With the full understanding of our board, I am sharing the news that the Exeter Dementia Action Alliance (EDAA) will formally close at the end of December 2025.
This is not an easy message for me to share. The Alliance has been a massive, life-defining chapter of my heart and soul. F
Progress has been made but people living with dementia and their families still face inconsistent, patchy support. It’s time for a joined-up national response.
September is World Alzheimer’s Month, a reminder to shine a light on dementia, which affects not only those diagnosed but also their families, friends and communities. Yet despite its scaledementia is still not given the...
The words “timely” and “early” are often used as if they mean the same thing, but when it comes to a dementia diagnosis, I think it’s important to understand the difference.
A timely diagnosis focuses on the individual taking into account their personal situation needs and preferences around when and how they receive the diagnosis. Early, on the other hand is more about the stage the...
Making a difference should be something to celebrate, especially in a field as vital as dementia.
A few years ago, I felt a sense of celebration after delivering an engaging dementia information session. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and made a real impact. But a few days later I learned that false information about this session was being shared, something that had the...
“You can’t pour from an empty cup.” It’s a phrase we often hear, and it couldn’t be more relevant for carers. Caring for someone you love is deeply rewarding, but it also comes with significant challenges. Prioritising your own well-being isn’t selfish — it’s essential.
While my focus here is on dementia carers, these insights can benefit all unpaid carers navigating the demands of...
A singer whose performance was described as ‘worldclass’ and ‘breathtaking’ by judges who named her as winner of Germany’s version of ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ will be doing a five-hour singathon at The Dolphin in Plymouth on 1 November as a fundraiser for the local dementia care home where she now works.
Angel Flukes, who originally came from Saltash and attended Plymouth’s City College...
When most hear the word dementia it’s often Alzheimer’s disease and older people they think about. In fact there are over 100 types of dementia.
However for this piece I want to raise awareness and touch upon one of the more rare types - Young Onset Dementia (YOD) which means the person diagnosed is under 65.
This presents many challenges such as the person may have a young...
Nationwide and Dementia UK are bringing free face-to-face specialist dementia care to Torquay during World Alzheimer’s Month in September. The clinics will be hosted by Dementia UK’s Admiral Nurses to support anyone impacted by dementia, offering life-changing support to families and individuals living with dementia in the South-West.
Support includes practical and emotional advice...
I ask this as recently we had a conversation during a dementia training session about local community resources and I brought the term into conversation.
There were several attendees working in the health and social care sector who had not heard of this important community role leading me to write this brief overview.
At its simplest a Social prescriber (SP) centres around...
