Dementia Support in South Africa | Guides, Care Tips & Resources
Dementia changes daily life for both the person affected and their family. This hub brings together practical, easy-to-understand support, caregiver advice, and real-world guidance to help you navigate each stage with more confidence and less confusion.
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New Dementia Care Guide Now Available for South African Families & Carers
We are incredibly proud to announce the launch of a deeply important new resource on Dementia care written by Heike Oelbuttel
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“They’re Not Difficult. They’re Communicating.”
I read a LinkedIn post by Danielle Russo and one quote struck me deeply: “They’re not difficult.They’re communicating.And we are not listening.” The more I sat with that quote, the more I realised how often we misunderstand behaviour, especially when it comes to dementia and cognitive decline. Too often, people are labelled as “difficult” simply…
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Finding Your Village
When someone is first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia, families often feel completely overwhelmed. Suddenly there are doctors, decisions, safety concerns, and a future that feels uncertain. It’s easy to feel like you’re the only person dealing with this. But you’re not. There are thousands of families quietly navigating the same journey. Your village might…
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When Humour Becomes a Survival Tool
Dementia has a strange way of creating moments that are both heartbreaking and oddly funny. If you’ve ever cared for someone with memory loss, you will know exactly what I mean. Like the day the television remote becomes a telephone. Or when biscuits are hidden in the laundry cupboard “for later”. Or when someone insists…
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The Hidden Emotions of Carers (Yes, Even the Difficult Ones)
There’s a quiet truth many carers carry but rarely say out loud. Sometimes caring for someone with dementia makes you angry. Not angry at them. Angry at the situation. Angry that the person you love is slowly disappearing while still sitting right in front of you. Angry that your life now revolves around medication times,…
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It Takes a Village… and Sometimes the Village Is Just You
There’s an old saying that it takes a village to raise a child. Nobody mentions that it also takes a village to care for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia. And sometimes that village looks suspiciously like one person standing in the kitchen wondering why the kettle is boiling for the third time and nobody remembers…
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Colouring books for Grandparents
These themed colouring books are designed to be enjoyed together — by grandparents and grandchildren, side by side.
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Bridging Generations: The Caregiver’s Role
“Sandwich generation” isn’t a term I favor; it feels too frivolous or casual a term for the deeply emotional experience of supporting both elderly parents and grown children. I prefer to think of it as being a “bridge generation”—connecting two ends of the family spectrum. For older ones in this position, the emotional and financial…