I was born and educated in Poland. At the age of 20, I came to England to work at the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution nursing home in Surrey as a care assistant. I had no prior experience of working with people living with dementia. Nor did I know anyone personally with this condition.

One of the units of the home was a twelve-person protected ward for people living with advanced stages of all forms of dementia. Working for such a prestigious institution, I regularly received “Dementia training”, but it was primarily theory-based. In my experience the only practical advice given was to "remain calm and offer tea," which frustrated me for many years.

I was always close with my Grandparents and held great respect for the elderly so I liked my care position job in the nursing home. However without in-depth knowledge about cognitive decline I wasn’t able to work on the dementia unit without feeling fear, anger and despair. Irritation, misunderstandings and emotional exhaustion was my daily bread. 

A breakthrough in my work and life came 7 years after my first contact with people living with dementia when I was introduced to the Contented Dementia SPECAL Method. This method explained in an accurate and non-medical way what goes on in the brain of a person living with Alzheimer’s disease, which enabled me to finally understand the reality of life for people living with this diagnosis. The innovative dementia care communication method and its photo-album analogies helped me finally understand what the world of dementia is like for a person living with this condition and what needs to be done to enter their world and better understand it.

This insight was a very deep and shocking experience for me. Suddenly, I realized the communication errors that I had unwittingly made for many years, only being aware from my own one perceptive. Now knowing how people perceive the world around them as dementia progresses, I saw many situations from the ward again, but now in a very different light.

Soon after learning the new theories, I was extremely fortunate to become a 24-hour live-in carer to Susan, who had early-onset Alzheimer's disease. She was 56 when diagnosed and 62 when I met her. Together with her desperate husband David and other members of their family, for two years I practiced a new way of communication tailored to the needs of Susan. Consequently, we saw an amazing improvement in Susan's health and quality of life and our own. It was apparent from this experience the transformative effect the way we communicate has on people living with Alzheimer’s. Subsequently, I have practiced with other patients and their families, achieving amazing results in improving the quality of life for all.

I have been in contact with people living with many forms of dementia for over 18 years, and I've dedicated my work to only one form of dementia - Alzheimer's disease.

It is thanks to my Alzheimer’s patients that I now understand that Home is a feeling, not a place. I also know what changes we need to make when communicating with a person with a diagnosis to make them feel comfortable, calm and forget stress related to Alzheimer’s symptoms. I am only promoting non pharmacological methods.

I also understand what I need to do to take care of myself. It is now my passion to take care of myself and support those who care for people living with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, giving them the opportunity to also take care of themselves.

I offer a range of support and mentoring services, including:

• Mentored online support group: offering a confidential, non-judgmental, empathetic, and sharing space created by me for those of us who care for people living with Alzheimer’s. These groups allow carers to connect with their personal feelings and emotions and take care of themselves without leaving their own home.
• One-to-one mentoring and consultations for caregivers and family members: based on my own lived experience, I will mentor you and your family as you work through the Contented Dementia SPECAL method for yourself, with the objective of achieving an individual care passport for your loved one - including triggers, priority care, and health needs. This passport/care plan helps keep or bring your loved one home and gives you your freedom back with confidence that your loved one will be well cared for and content even in your absence.
• Online and stationary workshops where I teach techniques and skills, including mirroring techniques, empathic listening, and practice question less conversation.

At 39 my professional journey with Alzheimer’s blossomed, my heart is filled with extreme joy. Not only do I already know what positive changes I am making to the quality of lives just by adjusting communication and looking at it from a Recall Healing and New German Medicine perspective.

We are now extremely blessed to have The Bredesen Protocol. Which is a comprehensive program that addresses cognitive decline, prevents and in many cases reverses symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. 

Today there is a profound message about Alzheimer’s: there is so much that we can do. If you are interested in a holistic approach to Alzheimer’s, feel free to contact me.

Malwina M.Gawron