Dementiaville

I meant my remarks in a general way, everything on tv is entertainment.

Those inmates would have had no say in it.
They don't have to be 'locked away', they can go out if they like. Im sure the staff take them out. eloethen

I think that's a very harsh assessment ethelbags. It was an interesting, informative and, I think, moving programme - I'm not sure I would classify it as "entertainment".

For someone with a close relative who has dementia I would have thought this programme was very helpful and, in some ways, reassuring.

The lady who went to see her husband twice a day even though he wasn't really sure who she was, would, I feel certain, not have been happy to allow her husband to be filmed unless she thought it was done sensitively and with the best intentions.

Why should people with dementia be locked away and never seen, like a dirty secret? According to the programme, dementia is something that one third of the population will experience and we need to face it full on rather than pretend it can't happen to us or the people we love.

What I did find a bit offensive was one of the programmes about the emergency services which dealt specifically with what was called the "problem" of an ageing population. Some of the paramedics (though not all) had, I thought, a slightly disrespectful attitude to elderly people and seemed on one or two occasions to find them rather comical. I understand that people dealing with distressing situations have to use humour to make the job bearable, but I think this would have been better kept under wraps than aired in a TV programme.

I found it was disgraceful to make entertainment out of peoples illness.

I don't disagree with the idea of entering into their fantasies, I used to do this with an elderly relative years ago, its easier than repeating yourself over and over again and sometimes they get aggressive.

I just don't think this is something to be shown as entertainment.

Why not make a film set in a home for those with severe learning disabilities or people with MS. Of course they could make a film inside a hospice detailing peoples last days. The thought just disgusts me, sorry.

Im not against reality tv but those people were not able to agree to being filmed, even if the relative may have done.

It is vastly different when someone gives their consent and is able to do so.

Yes, I saw it and found it so poignant to see loved ones slipping away from close family members who wanted them there with them in the present, whilst the care home staff were managing their conditions by going with the residents living in the past. Both DS and DiL are dementia nurses and welcome this way of working - they's on NHS wards so don't get as much time to do what care homes can do, but they agree that treating the patient at the stage of their lives they remember fondly is life enhancing. Unfortunately, some people with dementia are distressed by times that they would rather not re-live. I'm going to watch the other programmes - very interesting.

Has anyone become a Dementia Friend? I've joined and will go to a training day in due course. The more I can learn, the better.