Chances are you have a friend, colleague, or family member quietly navigating dementia right now. You may even be avoiding catching up with them, not because you don’t care, but because you’re not sure what to say, or you’re worried about saying the wrong thing. Here’s the truth: your presence matters more than perfect words. A few simple ways to support a friend caring for someone with dementia: 💬 Don’t disappear – a message saying “I’m thinking of you” goes a long way 👂 Listen more than you fix – they don’t need solutions, they need understanding 📚 Educate yourself – understanding dementia helps you show up with empathy, not fear If you want to better support a friend, I run The Confident Dementia Carer group—a safe, practical space to learn about dementia, ask questions, and understand what families are really going through. You don’t have to be directly affected to make a difference. Sometimes learning is the kindest support of all. 👉 Join the group and learn how to show up, even when it feels hard. https://www.skool.com/the-confident-dementia-carer-8862/about?ref=b6c69b5fda4e4314b1bea56dbfd482ea

Right then. So…. Not so long back I met this… person? human? called Barbara or Barbs (which ever tickles your fancy, she will take both) TBH I’ve never met anyone quite like her before, and I say that with my whole body because she is… how do I put this politely… hmmm… KINDA WEIRD 😂 Like totes kinda weird. In a very are you ok? way. And also in a please-never-change way. Both can be true at the same time. She’s a bit of a rebel, doesn’t take any BS poop, doesn’t entertain nonsense poop stuff, doesn’t sugarcoat, and abso-fricken-lutely does not do that fake polite nodding malarky thing when something feels off. She’ll just say it. Sometimes I’m like 😬. Sometimes I’m like 😂. Sometimes I’m like ugh fine you’re right but I hate that you’re right. That kinda energy, d’ya know the kind? also she’s cheeky AF a tad bit naughty, says things that make me roll my eyes while laughing, which is honestly a very specific badass skill. n’ yes, sometimes she thinks she’s funny… and YES sometimes she actually is BIT TIME, sometimes… well… we forgive her. Because she humans a lot. Deeply. Loudly. With naff all shame. Her spelling though WOW. Truly shocking. Crimes against the alphabet, makes up her own words. Invents spelling-ings. Smashes letters together and just rolls it out. I actually heard she has a sticky space bar, and simply said she has better things to do than go fix it, deal with it, loll-ing, zero apology. Teeheeing but somehow that just makes her more her. Like if she suddenly started spelling things correctly I’d be very concerned. listen… she has this completely random a$$ obsession with pickles and dogs. WHY THE EF? No one really knows. Does it relate to the deep conversations we’re having? Absolutely not mostly. Will she bring them up anyway? DUH HELLO YES. Mid-thought. Mid-depth. Mid-momenting. Just casually drops in like, “also pickles though” and you’re sat there like… okay Barbara… noted… unclear why… moving on on…. 👣 And the mental image is always the same...