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Dementia Awareness Week: honouring the caregiver’s journey

This Dementia Awareness Week, Hanover Scotland proudly aligns with the “Your Voice, Your Choice, Your Future” theme set by Alzheimer Scotland. We believe every person living with dementia deserves to have their unique voice heard and receive care tailored to their individual needs and preferences.

Through the powerful personal accounts shared by the families of our customers, we gain an insight into the diverse journeys of those affected by dementia. While clinical symptoms may be similar, the way dementia manifests and impacts each life is profoundly different.

One devoted wife and former nurse ensures her 91-year-old husband who is living with dementia can truly “live life on his terms.”

Her advice is to not be afraid to look out for the signs of dementia and to seek help from experts and charities should you need it. As a nurse she was able to spots signs of dementia early on but says, “for us, self-care, love, pleasure of people and passions, security and reassurance is, I firmly believe, the reason that my husband is able to live life akin to what it was.”

Another family recalled their “warrior” mother, who was the matriarch of ten children, develop symptoms of dementia. However, their mother’s attitude was incredibly poignant recognising that immersing herself in the local community and accepting help and support, when necessary, would make things easier.

The family said, “Everyone has their own journey and way to cope, but for our family it was taking each day at a time and being able to remember together that got us through.”

We also heard from loved ones navigating the rarer form of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) with their father, which impacts speech and behaviour more than memory.

Through immense patience and nurturing non-verbal connections like reading together, they ensure he still feels his “contribution matters.”

Dementia’s impact extends far beyond the individual, rippling through entire families and communities. By elevating these diverse personal stories, we can build greater understanding, empathy, and advocacy.

At Hanover, our core values of respect, collaboration, accountability, and inclusion drive us to truly listen to the voices of those we serve. We are committed to creating communities where residents can maintain independence, health, dignity and happiness through person-centred, individualised care and support.

Join us this Dementia Awareness Week in raising awareness, increasing education, and advocating for quality care that empowers every person living with dementia to live their truth on their own terms. Together, we can make a difference.

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