The Dementia Diaries:Tales from an unprepared carer

In the few weeks before mum died, I was already in touch with dad’s dementia nurse. In the first few days after mum died, the dementia nursing team provided me with some amazing support and advice. They listened to my worries and really helped me to take a step back and think about things a bit more rationally and objectively.

I realised that I needed to get care in place for dad as a matter of urgency if I was going to be able to keep dad at home, which is what he wanted. Whilst I would recommend people in similar situations making contact with their local adult social care team, I work in the sector and knew that dad would need to fund his own care. I also had a good idea of dad’s needs and what support would be required so felt confident navigating these discussions. The dementia nurses gave me the details of a local small care provider. They also provided details of how to get dad’s medication delivered in a dosette box, which I knew would be needed if an agency were to take over the role of prompting with medication.