It took three heating engineers to replace worn out radiators yesterday.  Maureen must have realised there was no gain without pain and ended up serenading them with Happy Talk as they worked around her in the lounge.  This was a very different Maureen to the one they had heard earlier when she let rip at Girl Tuesday accusing her of all sorts of misdemeanors.  I joked with the owner of the company that we wouldn’t charge him too much for helping his men to become dementia friendly.

The men will be here shortly to start the process of bringing water to our shower room and heating to the Sun Room.  They will be joined by an electrician at noon who will begin his first fix.  If everything goes according to plan the New Wing of our Care Home might be completed in two weeks.

Our heating system is pressure sensitive if it falls below 0.5 bar it will cut out.  That is an issue that we can now put behind us as our central heating is better than it has been for years.  Outdated radiators have been replaced and with most other things in hand concerning our extension, it is time to focus on the approach to supporting Maureen.  I need to keep the pressure on for clarification on her diagnosis: is her dementia predominantly vascular or  Alzheimer’s?  There also needs to be a consensus on a treatment plan that is streets away from Prescribed Disengagement (Swaffer).  I only wish I had another two good men or women at my side!

The other area where I need to keep the pressure on is to encourage family members to visit more often.  Maureen was a revelation when her brother and sister in law were here yesterday.   She loved talking about the good old days and being with people who she knows love her dearly.  They are popping in again this morning before their homeward journey to Nottingham.