The Know-How

One of our members has shared a powerful and honest blog about living with a ReSPECT form while supporting her husband through dementia and serious illness. She reflects on how the form evolved over time, what she learned through real emergencies, and how it helped ensure her husband’s wishes were respected. If you are thinking about advance care planning, or supporting someone who is, we hope this lived experience will be helpful.

Last Wednesday ITV’s This Morning and present Sian Welby visited Good Company to film our Snooker and Games Clubs. The segment will air when Richard Osman next appears on the sofa, and we are already hearing from people who want to understand how our approach could work where they live.

A Good Company couple share their experience of joining Time for Dementia, an Alzheimer’s Society programme that pairs medical students with families affected by dementia. The visits give students real insight into daily life with the condition and help shape a more compassionate generation of healthcare professionals.

Going on holiday can feel difficult when dementia is part of life, but with a little planning it is still possible. One of our members shares how coach holidays helped her and her husband keep exploring, finding simple ways to travel with less stress and more joy.

Dementia can sometimes make people believe they are living in another time of their life. Our dementia specialist Sue Hinds shares a simple technique called VERA that helps carers respond with kindness, comfort and calm when reality feels confusing.

In July, Head of Training Sue Hinds spent two days with our team, carers and volunteers. From hands-on activities to lightbulb moments, her sessions showed how person centred training can be both practical and welcoming.

If you or someone close to you has had a dementia diagnosis, this free guide is full of simple, trusted ideas to help you live well. It covers everything from food and movement to mood and planning ahead. You can read it online or ask us for a copy.

LEAP is our Lived Experience Advisory Panel. It brings together members of Good Company to share honest insights and help shape what we do. Some are living with dementia. Some are carers. Others just know what it feels like to face uncertainty. Their voices help us stay grounded in real life and focused on what really matters.