Daughter says “the penny has dropped” after joining the Empowered Communication course.  With both of her parents receiving a dementia diagnosis, Teresa found herself struggling, especially with her mum who is in a care home and is now losing the ability to communicate.   Luckily, she was referred to Empowered Conversations and says that the “penny has dropped” thanks to new ways of thinking inspired by our communication course.

 

Teresa said: “The course really helped me to formulate my thoughts and get my head around things. When you are caring for someone that has dementia, it can make you feel frustrated sometimes. For instance, if they don’t know when or why you are visiting them.

“You can begin to feel like you’re not helping them and it starts to build up inside you, which can affect your relationship with them. The course shared lots of analogies which helped me to understand my mum and dad a lot better, so I can be more aware of what they might be thinking and feeling.

“It has made me more patient and gave me ideas on how I can think outside the box. For example, if my mum keeps talking about wedding cake, it might simply mean that she would like a piece of cake, but can’t quite articulate that to me.  I now have one-to-one support sessions as well which is extremely helpful. I’m able to talk through my personal struggles as well as access further information and guidance. They have been able to point me in the right direction with services and decisions that I need to make.

“It feels like it’s an absolute minefield out there for carers, so just having contact with people who know what to do and where to go has been absolutely invaluable.”

For more information about our communication course click here.