Monday, 27 August 2012
Don't Mention Dementia - Feature Article in NHS Your Choice Magazine
Check out the latest feature focusing on 'Don't Mention Dementia' in the latest issue of NHS Your Choice Magazine, Autumn 2012 edition. Linking in very nicely with the national dementia awareness campaign. Also ten lucky readers can claim a free copy of the ebook version of Don't Mention Dementia!
Friday, 1 June 2012
Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Don't Mention Dementia - Now Available on Amazon UK & US
Don't Mention Dementia
Paperback now available for purchase on Amazon UK & US. Ebook to follow shortly. Thanks to everyone at Chipmunka Publishing for their support, and hope together we can help combat the stigma of Mental Health, and help drive forward change for the better.
Jack Bennington
Friday, 13 April 2012
Don't Mention Dementia - Book Extract
Prologue
Whatever happens, they retain that life experience, and they are an individual on this planet, with their own unique experience and outlook on the world.
What is your definition of Mental Health? What images does it conjure up in your head? Place those images firmly in the forefront of your mind. Imagine them projected onto a huge cinema screen, vivid and colourful. Take a few minutes to watch those images scroll past. Remember them clearly.
I am a mental health nurse. For some of you, you may have an idea of what this entails; for everyone else, you will be none the wiser. After the events of this book, you will have a further appreciation and understanding of the challenges and work that goes into the role, and discover what a mental health nurse does, day in, day out. Welcome to the next twelve hours of my life.
I remember thinking for years, like most other people, that nursing was really women’s work, and nurses must spend all their time walking around hospital beds, emptying bed pans, and generally just being nice. This was a terribly misogynistic outlook, and one I now realise was completely inaccurate.
I never thought that I would ever become a nurse, let alone a mental health nurse. I guess in the past I had held a very blinkered view of mental illness as being ‘scary’ and ‘dangerous’. I would often glance at a newspaper and see the headlines glaring back at me, ‘Schizophrenic murdered entire family.’ ‘Manic Depressive burgled elderly lady's home.’ ‘Local woman jumps off multi storey car park.’ I, like others, developed a very negative impression of mental health.
What had opened my eyes to mental health had all started during a bleak midwinter day at an open day at my local university. I had decided to attend a two day taster session, during which I experienced some sample lectures and a brief introduction to what mental health nursing was all about, giving me an insight into what would be required of me if I were to embark on this career path. I went away from this feeling enthusiastic and inspired. It had shown me how varied a career in mental health could be, and as I bid goodbye to fellow attendees I wondered if I would ever see them or the university again, but things were about to change for me.
Don't Mention Dementia - Purchase
Don't Mention Dementia, now available from the publishers website in ebook or paperback format. Soon to be available from all other book stockists, and available worldwide.
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Don't Mention Dementia - Advance Sampler
Small five page sampler of upcoming book Don't Mention Dementia by Jack Bennington.
My blood was already starting to boil. One day I would hope to gain the skills of
assertiveness and be bold enough to challenge people’s ideas about how they
thought things should be. It would be one of my ongoing crusades, and I made a
mental note of this. The job was hard
enough as it was, without being told that I needed to shift my attitudes and
opinions a little, before I had even started.
Maybe Paul was right; Sally may indeed have a few issues of her own.
The managers would often have to sit down nurses and carers and
have talks with them, if there were ever any concerns or complaints. Whilst the carers should work as a team, it
wouldn’t always go to plan. Some
wouldn’t think twice about complaining about their own colleagues. Carers have reported other carers in the past
for farting on the unit. Rather than
speak to that carer directly, it was taken directly to Jennifer, with a formal letter
of complaint. The carer had to come in
on her day off and discuss about how unprofessional this was. The carer never found out who had complained
about her. In fact they still work
closely together on many shifts, with the carer oblivious to the fact that even
her closest team mates wouldn’t think twice about complaining, even over a
small matter.
I remember as a student, I would often think that all nurses used
to do was simply sit in the office, but I was already beginning to realise that
there was an awful lot of responsibility and work to do that people just
wouldn’t be able to see going on, but was incredibly important. The amount of paperwork and legal documents
that needed to be correctly filled in was a huge undertaking, let alone keeping
the relatives updated, and generally keeping the unit running well. It was very easy to pass judgements on people
before you knew the true story and what really went on behind the scenes.
Mr Jackson had arrived on the unit to see his wife Maggie. Maggie was relatively new here on the unit
and would frequently wander, and was at times tearful. We had to keep a close eye on her as Bob
would often try to grab hold of her and not let go. You needed eyes in the back of your head. Mr Jackson was in his mid 60s himself and not
too good on his feet either. He often
used to sit peacefully in the lounge area whilst his wife bustled around him
and walked up and down the corridor. He used to get quite anxious and
frustrated that he couldn’t sit his wife down for more than a few minutes. He
had resigned himself to the fact that his wife wasn’t who she used to be, but
he came every day without fail, enjoyed a cup of tea with her and then left the
unit, saying his goodbyes. He looked
like he was hiding a lot of emotional turmoil inside. He hardly ever bothered
the nurses with anything. He would ring
each morning to check on how Maggie was, and arrive later that afternoon. For him, that’s all he could do for
Maggie. It was often sad seeing the
relatives each day; they were trying their best in dealing with what had
happened, and we were here to try and help them in every way we could.
Daniel was slowly making his way towards the nursing office,
looking suspicious. It was like watching
a secret agent, trying to tiptoe past the office, trying to look as discreet as
he possibly could. He was holding on to
the hand rails alongside the wall, and shuffling a small amount each
footstep.
Paul comes bursting into the office, a thin veil of sweat
glistening on his brow.
‘Jesus wept! I never want to go on that unit ever again! Next time that happens, I’m throwing them the
keys, and saying goodbye!’
‘What happened?’
‘Where do I start?! For
starters a chap was fitting, because his syringe driver wasn’t put in properly.
They had used the wrong syringe and it had been calibrated all wrong so it
wasn’t administering the correct dose over the correct amount of time.’
‘Wow.’
‘Yeah, an absolute nightmare, then there were about a hundred
patches to do, which all needed counter signing. I’m going to make friends with
a rather large bottle of vodka tonight, that is all I am going to say about the
matter!’
‘Want a cup of tea?’
‘I thought you would never ask!’ Paul smiles.
As Paul and I sat in the office, we first saw Daniel's foot slowly
shuffling into the office doorway, then a hand, and an arm, and first Daniel's
elongated nose, and finally his full body was right in the doorway. Daniel would often walk slowly and carefully
into other residents' bedrooms, and peer
into the rooms like he had found some magical fantasy world behind each door.
The look of fascination on his face would be intense, and he would often stay
in the residents' rooms for hours on end, playing with numerous bed covers and
small stuffed animals from time to time.
Whatever took his fancy.
Paul shouted out to Daniel.
‘Hello Dan mate.’
Daniel initially looked ahead. You could tell he heard Paul’s
shout but hadn’t quite worked out where it had come from. He turns very slowly
towards the nursing office to face us both.
‘Oh..hello.’
‘You all right Dan?’
‘Yep.’
Dan starts to walk into the nursing office. Something on top of
the medication fridge has taken his fancy, and he is focusing on it as he
gently ushers himself into the office.
There is a random selection of paper on top of the fridge; repositioning
charts and diet and fluid charts. Daniel
starts to pick these up and randomly move them from one side of the fridge to
another, seemingly fascinated with their texture and appearance.
Paul and I let Daniel rearrange the office for a while. Daniel starts to pick up some of the nursing
notes, Paul interjects quickly.
‘Thank you Daniel, I need those, unless you’re going to help me
with them?’
Daniel looks confusedly at Paul.
‘Well I uhh, hmmmmm yes.’
Daniel has one of the nursing files clutched in his hand, and a
small vase in his other hand. Paul gently
tries to take the nursing file off Daniel.
‘Hey, fuck off will you, I need it!’
‘Hey Daniel, I need to write my notes in this, can I just have
this for one second please?’
‘Nooooo, fuck off! I need
it I tell you!’
Daniel grimaces, his eyes bulge, and he stares back out at Paul.
‘Hey, Daniel.’
‘What?’
‘Can I have the file please?
Here you are, why don’t you take a look outside at the posters on the
wall?’
Paul points towards some of the posters on the wall. Daniel lets out a semi sigh.
‘Oh all right then.’
Daniel walks out of the nursing station, still clutching a small
vase in his hand. He is stooped over,
and walking incredibly slowly, one tiny half step at a time.
Thursday, 9 February 2012
Don't Mention Dementia
Jacks new book 'Don't Mention Dementia' has been finished, and currently at editing stage. It proves to be a real insight into the world of mental health, and the state of the nursing home industry.
Ever wondered what really goes on
behind the closed doors of a mental health nursing home? Don’t Mention Dementia unmasks a secret world where
alcohol, drugs, sex, and theft are all in a day’s work. Meet the nurses and carers
responsible for your relatives needs. Meet the residents and see where your
money is really going in healthcare today. Follow mental health nurse Jack
Bennington’s warts-and-all account of a twelve hour shift at a private nursing
home.
Packed with stories from the front line, some sad, some surprisingly
funny, Don’t Mention Dementia is an authentic, up close and
personal account - both of the state of the industry and the poignant journey
of those with dementia.
Purchase
Mental Health: A Student Nurse Account, available from all good stockists:
A detailed low down of work on a busy dementia ward, seen through the eyes of a student nurse undertaking a 12 hour shift. Read of the highs and lows of working within the rewarding career of mental health. Experience first hand the sorrow and laughter of caring for individuals with diverse needs in a world where the bottom line and cost cutting is paramount, and what you see may not be what you get. Also take a tour through voluntary services, through a unique diary and discover how they are run, for better or worse. This book is an invaluable resource for any aspiring nursing students, individuals currently working within healthcare, or those with direct experience of mental health services in Britain today. Read it, and make up your own mind if what we currently have really is 'Person Centred' care.
Ebook - Amazon Kindle
A detailed low down of work on a busy dementia ward, seen through the eyes of a student nurse undertaking a 12 hour shift. Read of the highs and lows of working within the rewarding career of mental health. Experience first hand the sorrow and laughter of caring for individuals with diverse needs in a world where the bottom line and cost cutting is paramount, and what you see may not be what you get. Also take a tour through voluntary services, through a unique diary and discover how they are run, for better or worse. This book is an invaluable resource for any aspiring nursing students, individuals currently working within healthcare, or those with direct experience of mental health services in Britain today. Read it, and make up your own mind if what we currently have really is 'Person Centred' care.
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