Amble Dementia Services

If you’re supporting someone living with dementia, this is well worth a read.
Holding onto personhood — routines, preferences, dignity, and identity — is one of the most powerful forms of care we have. It’s also the core of my approach in practice.

How to keep dementia from robbing your loved ones of their sense of personhood – tips for caregivers Treating people with dementia as full, thriving human beings requires awareness of stigma and simple communication strategies.

Interesting new research outlining the critical role exercise plays in brain health and dementia risk reduction.

Exercising in mid and later life can reduce dementia risk – new study People who did a lot of physical activity between 45 and 64 had much lower odds of developing dementia – even when they carried a genetic risk factor.

The journey to diagnosis can be long, confusing, and at times deeply stressful — for both the person and their supporters.

This recent story by the ABC highlights just how many families face delays in recognising and confirming cognitive changes, often leaving people without the guidance or support they need early on.

This is where I can help.

Through Amble Dementia Services, I walk alongside individuals and families during that uncertain phase — helping to gather observations, prepare for appointments, take notes and ask questions, helping you make sense of information as it comes.

If you or someone you love is waiting, worrying, or wondering, you don’t have to face it alone.

Some patients wait five years for diagnosis of 'Australia's biggest killer' Carers say a "broken sector" is letting down their loved ones with dementia, while a new study shows "confronting" diagnosis delays.

This post speaks to the heart of the work I do: staying present, connecting, and choosing to see the person still there. Always.

People living with dementia are not empty shells.

They are human beings.

Still, I hear it all the time.

They’re gone.

They’re just a shell.

They’re not in there anymore.

People say this because they’re hurting. Because the changes they see are painful and confusing. Because it’s hard to reconcile who someone used to be with who they are today.

Someone with dementia is as human as they have been for every moment of their life.

Yes, dementia changes people. It changes memory, language, personality, and behavior.

It can make someone unrecognizable in ways that feel cruel and unfair. But it does not erase who they are at their core. It doesn’t wipe away their humanity.

They feel love. They feel fear. They feel comfort.

Here’s why remembering that matters:

If we start believing that people with dementia are “gone,” we stop trying to connect. We stop talking to them like adults. We stop treating them with the dignity they deserve. And that is when the real loss happens.

People with dementia are still here. Different, yes. But absolutely still here.

And they deserve for us to see them.

An interesting study into the use of antipsychotics in people living with dementia.

https://www.jamda.com/article/S1525-8610(24)00677-7/fulltext

You won't see me using these drugs. Instead you'll find me forest bathing, bushwalking or reading scripture. Interventions designed by my clients, not to silence or punish them, but to further enrich their lives.
It's time to stop poisoning people intentionally, and time to offer space, comfort and solace.

A Longitudinal Treatment Effect Analysis of Antipsychotics on Behavior of Residents in Long-Term Care The proportion of long-term care (LTC) residents being treated with antipsychotic medication is high, and these medications may exacerbate behavioral symptoms. We used propensity scores to investigate the effect of antipsychotic use on the worsening of behavioral symptoms among residents in LTC faci...

Hello world! After a busy 5 months I'm finally getting my IT act together 🤭
💗 I'm loving being able to tailor a service that's consistent, quality and truly person centred, in the ACT.
Please share 😊
Amble Dementia Services
www.ambleds.com.au

Call Jill Brown, Amble Dementia Services to discuss your advice, support or advocacy needs 0424327069 www.ambledementiaservices.com.au #dementiaawareness #dementiaaustralia #canberra #dementiasupport #brainhealth #dementiacare #canberrabusiness

Practicing a recipe today that's really special to one of my new clients! Activities like sharing a cooking experience, or sharing a meal are excellent ways to stir nostalgia and connection (and to fill our bellies) 🥧👩‍🍳❤️

It's coming up to Brain Health week (11 to 15 March) so it's worth checking out the Brain Foundation to find out more about your brain and dementia.

🧠

https://brainfoundation.org.au/

Brain Foundation - Brain Diseases and Disorders Research in Australia The Brain Foundation has been raising awareness for neurological disorders & funding brain research in Australia for over 50 years.

My name is Jill Brown.
I have been working with people impacted by dementia since 2001.
I love people and I love finding ways to help people living with dementia, and their collaborators to thrive.
Outgoing and empathetic, I love finding ways to engage people, or to hold space for them, when needed.
My service is designed to be tailored, person centered and you are guaranteed to get me every time, to allow for consistent supports.
Contact me to talk to me about how I might help you or someone you know to continue to access and connect with community.