Sharon Daltrey

I recently read a post about an interactive cat that had been donated to someone living with dementia. It moved, meowed and responded to touch, and was bringing pleasure not only to her but to other residents too. But one sentence made me pause: “It may be a toy, but the happiness and affection it brings are very real.” I understood exactly what the writer meant. We associate toys with children, so when something described as a toy is given to an adult, particularly an adult living with...

Like many people working in dementia, I read with interest the recent interview with the new CEO of the Alzheimer's Society, Michelle Dyson CB. I welcomed her honesty about the challenges people continue to face after receiving a diagnosis. Families have been describing this experience for years. I have lived it. Too often, they leave with a diagnosis of dementia, but very little confidence about how they might navigate their lives when they get home. The calls for better post-diagnostic...

Like many people working in dementia care, we read the recent reports of a woman with advanced Alzheimer's who experienced a temporary return of abilities following supervised administration of psilocybin with great interest. The improvements described seem remarkable. According to the reports, she became more engaged, more communicative, more independent and appeared to regain access to memories and aspects of herself that had seemed absent. It is important to point out that this was a...