Familiarity is good for your mental health

Two interesting dementia-related stories being reported on the BBC this week. 

Firstly, the email read out by Jonathan Agnew about the cricket fan listening to England v India on test match special and how that revitalised him during his last few hours with his family and the hospital nurse who had the bright idea of suggesting that patients with mental health issues bring their own blanket into the ward to make them feel more at home. Both cases resulted in a marked improvement in the health and wellbeing of the individuals concerned.

Dementia is, increasingly, an issue for us all and these stories highlight the simple yet important point of surrounding dementia sufferers with familiar things and the added value it can bring to their lives.