Care home

This book might come as a shock to someone who has never been to a nursing home, but it probably applies to anyone who has been to one or worked in one for a while. I think very few people would willingly trade a small room like this for their home. I say "e;very few"e; because now that I'm starting to uncover the facts and put them into a more palatable way, I'm beginning to realize the truth of what's happening: I'm living in a nursing home!The shock that came with my new role as a resident has been a real eye-opener. It's good to be shocked, I think, because it makes you ask yourself, "e;Why?"e; And that's an important question if you want to change things, because by knowing exactly why you feel sad and regretful, you might be able to avoid or lessen the feeling in the future. Why do they make nursing homes look like hospitals? Why are the corridors so sterile? And why do we expect everyone to live on the same schedule? In short: Why does my new home look the way it does, and why do we always do things the way they're done without thinking? If we want to implement real change and humane care, we must start by asking ourselves the fundamental question: What does it mean to live with dementia? I put this question to the back of my mind when I moved into the care home more than a year ago, which allowed me to experience life with dementia from a range of different perspectives, as a nurse and as a student, related to the ethics and policies of care, but above all, as a human being too.