Memories from the Dementia Ward

by Edward Spellman

I worked five days a week in a locked dementia ward for six years. During that time, I noticed that some of the new staff and resident's relatives had difficulty adapting to the reality of the dementia ward. New staff would take fright and not return to work after as little as one shift. The relatives would react by getting angry. Both would sometimes have difficulty with their own perceptions of reality and try to force those onto the dementia ward but never successfully, which caused everyone stress. I thought some of my experiences, from my time in the dementia ward, might help to open up this world a little bit to those who are confronted and challenged by it, and help ease the culture shock and adjustment.