A dementia ward - tough to see, with lessons to learn

In December, The Guardian published a set of photographs by Maja Daniels depicting life inside a dementia ward.  The pictures are accompanied by thoughts, feelings and recollections by Andrea Gillies, who has written extensively about caring for her mother-in-law who had Alzheimer's.  The photographs and comments alongside are pretty hard hitting and hard to look at, even remembering that these are pictures of a ward, not a care home.

However, Andrea's final comments suggest that there is plenty to learn from these pictures - essentially, the need for purpose-built dementia residences (more like hotels than hospitals), art and music therapy, dedicated and imaginative staff, and a network of these residences so that they can be accessed by all.

Andrea admits that the spend for this "vision" would be enormous, but she argues that with the rapidly escalating numbers of those with Alzheimer's and dementia, what is the cost we pay for not spending?

 

The Guardian's gallery, featuring Maja Daniels and Andrea Gillies