By Nicolle Mitchell, Massage4Dementia
People living with dementia, are often some of the most isolated people living in our communities. Having access to services which can genuinely improve a person’s quality of life and connection is for vital making the difference between human needs being met, or not. Between feeling like you matter enough to feel well, or not. Pulling down barriers to access our services drives me to build a community of dementia informed therapists.
In the past 15 years it has been my passion and joy to connect with hundreds of practitioners passing on tips and techniques to connect more profoundly with people living with dementia through touch on their terms. Some participants wanted to increase their confidence to provide people living with dementia access to touch therapy services, becoming more inclusive in their practice. Others were CPD-curious to see if it suited them. Some truly wanted to deepen their learning and make this a specialism of theirs. All equally important reasons.
Important because I still witness cultures slow to shift, dismissing voices, speaking over, speaking for, not listening. This is societally-wide and isn’t helped by inequity and pressure on time and resources. Sadly, those who cannot be heard often fall to the bottom of the priority pile.
This is why my training is more than just learning about massage techniques. It’s about reshaping approaches to communication helping people feel heard, understood, validated and for them to know that they matter. It’s about advocating for clients when needed and upholding human rights with them. It’s about how we exercise curiousity to meet human needs and understanding human relationships in different forms involving presenting attachment styles which can signal unmet needs.
That’s why I’m offering a seminar at the FHT conference at 10am on Thursday 22nd October entitled: Holding Therapeutic Space for People Living with Dementia.
Surprisingly the biggest cause of death in England and Wales 2012 isn’t cancer, not even heart disease, but dementia and it’s one of the top 4 causes of death UK-wide. Around a million people in the UK live with dementia, not including undiagnosed people living with the syndrome.
You already have the heart, hands and expertise, so it’s about adding skills which won’t just be helpful to support people living with dementia but will help improve your general practice too.
We can’t change every system overnight, but we can change the experience of the person in front of us. One therapist at a time, one moment of attuned presence at a time, we build a culture where people living with dementia feel seen, heard and valued.
If you want to be part of that change, I’d love for you to join us at the seminar. After all, when touch becomes the main connection in someone’s life, we need the holistic skills to speak and listen with safety in mind, and always on your client’s terms.
Here’s to the next 15years, building a more dementia informed society with you.
#dementiainformed #therapy #MeetMeWhereIAm #WhenWordsEscapeUs
Nicolle Mitchell MFHT, ITEC Dip
Holistic Massage Practitioner and Educator
The Little Massage Clinic
Blue LotusTherapy Centre, Scorrier House Estate, Scorrier, Redruth, Cornwall, TR16 5AU
Mob/Whatsapp: 07899944650
massagefordementia.co.uk
Insta: massage4dementia
Facebook: Massage for People Living with Dementia
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nicollemitchell6114
Bio:
Nicolle Mitchell, an award-winning Holistic Massage Practitioner, specialises in supporting people who live with dementia. A pioneer in her field, she empowers therapists to deliver more inclusive, confident care by teaching dementia-informed physical therapy and aromatherapy approaches through a trauma sensitive lens. Her work focuses on consent, evidence-based benefits, and specialist techniques. “When words escape us, touch says it all.”
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