Mullins, Jane M. Book Review: “Wandering the Wards: An Ethnography of Hospital Care and its Consequences for People Living with Dementia.” (2021): 14713012211054370. Initially slightly put off by the cover,’ says Caroline, ‘I was converted by its practicality, sensitivity and relevance.’ ‘There are so many sensible and helpful pieces of advice and ideas, it all needs time to digest and take on board!’ says Marilyn. As a dementia nurse consultant with many years’ experience, Jane Mullins has a lot to share about good care. This book is her attempt to share it in a way that is helpful to anyone supporting a partner, relative or friend who has dementia.

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. 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. 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. 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. Finding the Light in Dementia Care™ will be delivered worldwide and will change the face of dementia care on a global scale. By contributing to our crowdfunder, you will automatically become a member of the Finding the Light in Dementia Care™ movement so that you are a key part of changing the face of dementia care worldwide (if you wish).Andrea Nicholas Jones, Director Strategic Partnerships, Action for Elders, Wales Trustee & Chair of National Council, Hourglass (Action on Elder Abuse), Welsh Government Strategy for Older People Lead, British Irish Council Chair working group on Preventative Spend. "A Dementia diagnosis can be devastating for the individual and their family, however, with the right support, people can still live a productive and meaningful life. Critical for this is training for staff on how to enable the individual to maximise their wellbeing. This programme offers this and more and has the potential to significantly improve the quality of life for anyone living with dementia. The care staff wellbeing hub will offer invaluable support to staff working in this challenging area." Tom Tremayne, Creative Director. Tom is a true creative, who studied Fine Art and then went on to graduate from Newport Film School. His first commercially released short film, When I Fall in Love (2014), a dementia awareness film was selected for screening at Cardiff Mini Film Festival in 2015. Tom is a skilled photographer, specialising in soundscapes, and has over five years' professional experience in analogue film reproduction, photo restoration and editing - look out for the Suitcase of Memories rewards! Involve friends, family, befrienders, caregivers, allowing the contents of the box(es) to help spark conversations and help your care partner stay connected with others The toilet seat is a contrasting colour from the floor and walls, to help your loved one see more clearly This little book is a life saver for people who have dementia and their caregivers, families and friends. I think it should be given out by every professional who gives the initial diagnosis. People need something to grasp, and the sensitivity, simplicity and emotion contained in this book may help them cope better.”-- Lorraine Morgan, Nurse Gerontologist

Mullins, J.M., Tales, A., Musselwhite, C., Rich, N., 2022, “Rekindling couplehood” using a multisensory suitcase of memories: A pilot study of people living with moderate dementia and their partners, Ageing & Society. Created in collaboration with Meri Yaadain to ensure training is culturally inclusive, accessible and relevant for all.

Useful content 

The Book is filled with quotes from people who actually experience what it is like to live with Dementia and provides really useful emotional and practical advice to those who are Caring. Issues like creating a calm and safe environment, understanding sudden changes in behaviour and communication are so important and these are covered so well, along with many others. This is an excellent guide for anyone who has a family member or friend suffering with dementia. Really helpful advice & explanations on why certain behaviours happen & how to deal / cope with them. The best bit about this book is it is easy to read – short chapters & clearly written with very little jargon, so it is very accessible. It’s also helpful to have sections for making notes about your own circumstances, the idea being that you have the day to day information to take to a doctor if needed. The book takes you through from initial diagnosis all the way to making the decision to look at residential care, and it truly does “find the light” in all stages of that journey. It is reassuring for someone who has little or no experience with dementia to know that as a carer they are not alone, as quotes & comments from real life people are included throughout. It is a very positive book & has real tips & techniques for dealing with the situation of having a loved one suffering from such a cruel disease. Sandra 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. This will include resources to help them cope with the grief and bereavement, and other challenges that they will have experienced due to Covid. My book, training and courses have been developed over many years, to help all people living with dementia, their families, staff and caregivers understand how dementia can affect a person, how they experience the world around them and how we can care WITH them. I have built on the work of Tom Kitwood, Abraham Maslowand Martha Rogers in developing the Finding the Light in Dementia Model of Care.