Gentle support for those loving and caring for someone with dementia.
The Memory Nest provides practical guidance, trusted resources, and simple tools to help you navigate the challenges of dementia care. This space is designed to support you with clarity, compassion, and reassurance helping you feel steadier, more informed, and confident in your caregiving journey
The Memory Nest is a place for guidance, insight, and shared understanding. While it is shaped by lived experience, it is intentionally designed to empower carers rather than carry their journey for them.
This space offers guidance and resources to support carers and is designed to complement — not replace — professional care and personal support networks, through my lived experiences and acquired knowledge during my journey.
About The Memory Nest
The Memory Nest was created to offer calm, practical guidance for those caring for a loved one with dementia — grounded in lived experience and delivered with compassion and clarity.
After walking a seven-year journey caring for my husband through Young Onset Dementia, I learned how overwhelming and disorienting dementia care can be, especially when you don’t fully understand the behaviours you’re witnessing or how to respond to them with confidence.
This platform exists to help carers better understand why certain changes and behaviours occur, and to offer simple, practical tools that support care without adding pressure or emotional overload.
Alongside dementia-specific guidance, The Memory Nest also encourages carers to care for themselves — recognising that sustainable care requires moments of connection, rest, and replenishment. Through the Connection Bank Account approach, drawn from my Sacred Connections work, carers are supported to build small, meaningful moments of connection with their loved one and with themselves, helping reduce burnout and emotional depletion.
The Memory Nest is designed as a supportive resource and educational space — not as a substitute for counselling, therapy, or professional care. Its purpose is to offer insight, tools, and trusted resources so carers feel more informed, steadied, and resourced as they navigate their own journey.
This is a place for clarity, compassion, and practical support — offered with care, and with respect for everyone’s boundaries.
This space offers guidance and resources to support carers and is designed to complement — not replace — professional care and personal support networks, through my lived experiences and acquired knowledge during my journey.
10 Early Signs of Dementia: What to Look For and When to Pause
Noticing changes in someone you love can feel unsettling.
Some early changes associated with dementia can appear quietly and gradually. They can be dismissed as stress, ageing, tiredness or simply having a bad day.This doesn't mean that every change is dementia. But noticing patterns over time can help you know when it may be worth seeking further support.The goal isn't to diagnose your loved one yourself.
It's to notice, understand and respond with compassion.
Let's Look at the Signs More Closely
Increasing Forgetfulness
You may notice difficulty remembering recent conversations, appointments or events. Even when older memories remain clear. Occasional forgetfulness happens to everyone. What matters is wether memory difficulties become more frequents or begin affecting everyday life.
Difficulty With Everyday Tasks
Tasks that were once familiar and automatic may suddenly become difficult. This could include managing finances, cooking familiar meals, using household appliances, following routines or remembering the steps involved in everyday tasks.
Changes in Language and Communication
Someone may struggle to find the right word, lose track of a sentence, repeat themselves or find it harder to follow conversations. They may become frustrated when they can't express what they want to say.
Disorientation in Time or Place
Someone may become confused about the day, season, where they are, where they were going or how they arrived somewhere. Becoming lost or confused in a previously familiar environment can be particulary distressing.
Changes in Mood or Personality
Changes aren't always about memory. You may notice increased anxiety, irritability, suspicion, withdrawal, sadness or other noticeable changes in mood or behaviour.
Misplacing Items in Unusual Places
Everyone loses their keys occasionally. But a pattern of putting everyday objects in unusual places may be worth noticing, particulary when the person cannot remember how the item got there.
Changes in Judgement or Decision-Making
Changes in judgement can sometimes appear as unusual or unsafe decisions. Someone may have difficulty assessing situations, making everyday decisions or recognising risks that would previously have been obvious to them.
Restlessness or Increased Nervous Energy
Some people experience increased restlessness. This might look like pacing, tapping, repeatedly moving around or appearing unable to settle. These changes can also affect sleep and daily routines.
Withdrawal From Activities and Social Life
Some may gradually lose interest in hobbies, work, social activities or routines they once enjoyed. They may begin avoiding friends, family gatherings or community activities. Sometimes withdrawal happens because activities that were once easy have started to feel confusing or overwhelming.
Visual and Spatial Difficulties
Changes in the way the brain processes visual information can affect everyday activities. Someone may have difficulty with reading, judging distance, recognising familiar faces, navigating familiar surroundings or understanding where objects are in relation to each other.
Problem-Solving & Initiative Struggles
Someone may find it harder to solve everyday problems or get started on familiar tasks.They might struggle to follow a recipe, manage bills, plan an activity or work out what to do next even with things they previously handled independently.
You may also notice that they lose initiative, needing more prompting to begin or complete every activities.
It's not about being unwilling. It may be that the steps have become harder to organise or understand.
A GENTLE REMINDER
Seeing one or two of these signs does not automatically mean someone has dementia.
There can be many reasons for changes in memory, behaviour, mood, communication or daily functioning.
What matters is noticing patterns, changes and their impact over time.
If you're concerned about someone you love, consider keeping a simple record of what you've notices and discussing your concerns with qualified health professional.
This space offers guidance and resources to support carers and is designed to complement — not replace — professional care and personal support networks, through my lived experiences and acquired knowledge during my journey.
The 7 Stages of Dementia: A Guide for Families
Understanding the stages of dementia can help families recognise changes in a loved one's abilities, prepare for future care needs, and continue providing support with dignity and compassion.
However, dementia is not a predictable journey with a fixed timetable. Every person experiences it differently. The type of dementia, overall health and individual circumstances can all influence how symptoms develop.
The seven-stage model is commonly used to describe the progression of Alzheimer's disease. It can offer families a helpful overview, but it does not perfectly describe every type of dementia or every person's experience.
Let's explore the seven stages and how you can support someone at each point in their journey.
Stage 1: No Noticeable Symptoms
At this stage, the person appears to be functioning normally. There are no obvious signs of memory loss or difficulties with everyday activities.
Although changes associated with Alzheimer's disease may be developing in the brain, they are not yet noticeable in daily life.
The person continues with their usual routines, relationships, work and interests.
How you can help: Encourage healthy habits, physical activity, social connection and regular healthcare. Ordinary forgetfulness alone does not mean someone has dementia.
Stage 2: Very Mild Changes
Some people begin noticing subtle changes in their memory. They might occasionally forget a name, misplace their keys or struggle to remember something they intended to do.
These experiences can also occur with normal ageing, stress, poor sleep, medication effects and other health conditions. On their own, they do not mean someone has dementia.
What families may notice: Often, very little. The person may become frustrated with themselves or worry that their memory is changing.
How you can help:
Be patient and avoid making jokes about forgetfulness.
Offer reassurance rather than criticism.
Encourage a GP appointment if changes persist, worsen or begin affecting everyday life.
Stage 3: Mild Cognitive Difficulties
At this stage, changes may become more noticeable to family members, friends or colleagues.
The person may repeat questions, forget appointments, struggle to find the right words or find familiar tasks more difficult. Planning, organising and managing several things at once may also become challenging.
They may still manage most daily activities independently, but some tasks require more effort than before.
What families may notice: Repeated conversations, missed appointments, difficulty managing finances, problems solving everyday challenges or increased reliance on reminders.
How you can help:
Use calendars, reminders and familiar routines.
Keep important belongings in consistent places.
Offer assistance without taking away independence unnecessarily.
Encourage medical assessment if changes affect daily life.
A medical assessment can help identify possible causes and determine whether further investigation or support is needed.
Stage 4: Moderate Cognitive Decline
Memory, reasoning and organisation difficulties become more apparent. Everyday tasks that were once straightforward may now require assistance.
The person may struggle to manage finances, plan meals, organise travel or remember recent events. They may withdraw from activities because they feel embarrassed, confused or overwhelmed.
Frustration or defensiveness can also occur when someone struggles with tasks they previously managed independently. What appears to be stubbornness may sometimes reflect fear, confusion or an attempt to maintain control.
What families may notice: Difficulty managing familiar responsibilities, confusion about recent events and a greater need for reassurance.
How you can help:
Break tasks into smaller, manageable steps.
Offer simple choices rather than asking several questions at once.
Maintain familiar routines.
Focus on what the person can still do.
Discuss future care preferences and planning together whenever possible.
Including the person in decisions helps preserve their dignity and gives them an opportunity to express their wishes.
Stage 5: Moderately Severe Cognitive Decline
At this stage, the person generally needs more regular assistance with everyday life.
They may forget important information, such as their address or telephone number. Choosing appropriate clothing, preparing meals and remembering the steps involved in daily tasks may become difficult.
However, they may still remember significant parts of their personal history and respond warmly to familiar people, places and experiences.
What families may notice: Increased confusion, difficulty dressing, missed meals, problems navigating unfamiliar places and a greater need for supervision.
How you can help:
Lay out clothing in the order it should be worn.
Choose comfortable clothes that are easy to put on and remove.
Provide regular drinks and simple, nutritious meals.
Use familiar objects and visual cues to support independence.
Review home safety and consider whether additional assistance is needed.
Remember that needing help does not take away a person's identity. They are still an adult with feelings, preferences and a lifetime of experiences.
Stage 6: Severe Cognitive Decline
This stage can bring substantial changes in memory, communication, behaviour and physical independence.
The person may struggle to recognise familiar surroundings or need assistance with dressing, bathing, toileting and other personal care.
They may experience changes in sleep, anxiety, restlessness or distress. Some people wander, repeat movements or become upset when they cannot communicate what they need.
These behaviours are not necessarily deliberate. They may be expressions of confusion, discomfort, fear, pain or an unmet need.
For families, this stage can be emotionally demanding. The relationship may begin to feel different as the person becomes increasingly dependent on care. You may experience sadness, exhaustion or even resentment while continuing to love them deeply.
These feelings do not make you a bad caregiver. They are a reminder that you may need support, too.
What families may notice: Greater dependence on others, difficulty communicating, increasing personal care needs and greater difficulty recognising people or places.
How you can help:
Approach slowly and explain what you are doing.
Use a calm voice and short, reassuring sentences.
Watch for signs of pain, illness, hunger, thirst or discomfort.
Maintain familiar routines and offer comforting experiences, such as favourite music or familiar photographs.
Seek help from healthcare professionals and explore respite or additional care when needed.
If confusion or behaviour changes suddenly, seek medical advice promptly. Infections, medication effects, pain and delirium can cause sudden deterioration and should not automatically be attributed to dementia progression.
Stage 7: Very Severe Cognitive Decline
In the final stage of the seven-stage model, the person needs extensive, often continuous assistance with daily care.
Communication may become very limited. They may lose the ability to walk independently, sit upright without support or swallow safely. Assistance may be required with eating, drinking, personal hygiene and repositioning.
Although spoken communication may be greatly reduced, the person can still experience comfort, distress and connection.
Some people continue to respond to familiar voices, music, facial expressions and gentle touch. Even when they cannot respond verbally, being near loved ones and hearing familiar voices may offer comfort.
What families may notice: Extensive dependence on carers, limited communication, reduced mobility and increasing physical frailty.
How you can help:
Prioritise comfort, dignity and familiar surroundings.
Work with healthcare professionals to manage pain and other symptoms.
Seek professional advice about swallowing difficulties, nutrition, hydration and safe positioning.
Discuss palliative care and future care preferences with the healthcare team.
Continue speaking gently to the person, even when they cannot respond.
At this stage, the focus is on compassionate care that protects comfort, dignity and quality of life.
What the Seven Stages Cannot Tell You
It can be tempting to use the stages to predict exactly what will happen to someone you love. Unfortunately, dementia does not work that way.
Not everyone experiences every symptom. Changes may overlap, and a person's abilities can vary from one day to another. Different types of dementia can also produce different patterns of symptoms.
The stages are best used as a broad guide to understanding changing support needs, not as a checklist against which to measure your loved one.
If someone suddenly becomes much more confused, unusually sleepy, agitated or physically unwell, seek medical advice promptly. A sudden change may indicate an illness or another treatable problem rather than the usual progression of dementia.
The Person Is Still There, Even as Dementia Changes Them
One of the hardest parts of dementia is learning to adjust your expectations while continuing to see the person behind the symptoms.
You may miss familiar conversations, shared routines or the reassurance of being recognised. You may find yourself grieving the relationship you once had while trying to make the most of the relationship that remains.
These feelings are understandable.
You do not have to pretend the journey is easy. You can feel sadness, frustration and exhaustion while still loving someone deeply.
You also do not have to wait until the later stages to seek help. Support with communication, personal care, home safety, respite and future planning can make a meaningful difference throughout the journey.
Most importantly, connection is not measured only by memory or words. A familiar song, a favourite meal, sitting together in the sunshine or holding a hand may still offer moments of comfort and closeness.
The way you connect may change, but meaningful moments can still be shared.
A Gentle Reminder from Memory Nest
Every person's experience of dementia is different. Try to meet your loved one where they are today, rather than focusing only on what they could do yesterday or what may happen tomorrow.
Offer support when it is needed, preserve independence where possible, and remember to care for yourself along the way.
You do not have to navigate the journey alone.
This space offers guidance and resources to support carers and is designed to complement — not replace — professional care and personal support networks, through my lived experiences and acquired knowledge during my journey.
How The Memory Nest Supports You
Dementia care is complex, and no single person or platform can hold everything, while no single person’s journey is the same either.
The Memory Nest is designed to work alongside your existing supports — helping you better understand behaviors, make sense of changes, and approach care with greater clarity and calm.
This space can help you:
feel more informed before medical or professional appointments
reduce confusion around common dementia behaviors
build emotional steadiness through practical self-care approaches
identify when additional professional support may be helpful
By offering education, tools, and trusted resources, The Memory Nest supports carers to feel more resourced — while encouraging a broader, sustainable support system.
This space offers guidance and resources to support carers and is designed to complement — not replace — professional care and personal support networks, through my lived experiences and acquired knowledge during my journey.
What I Share Here
The Memory Nest is a resource-led space. The content shared here focuses on:
Practical explanations of common dementia behaviours
Tools and strategies to support daily care and communication
Education that helps carers feel more informed and less overwhelmed
Gentle self-care practices that support emotional steadiness
The Connection Bank Account approach for sustaining your own wellbeing
Curated external resources and referrals for further support
This content is designed to inform, guide, and empower — so you can navigate your own journey with greater clarity and confidence.
What I Don’t Offer in This Space
To protect both carers and the integrity of this platform, The Memory Nest does not provide:
One-to-one emotional counselling or crisis support
Ongoing personal processing of grief, trauma, or anticipatory loss
Real-time emotional support via messages, comments, or email
Medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations
Substitute care for professional or clinical services
This boundary allows the support offered here to remain steady, ethical, and sustainable.
How to Engage Safely
You are welcome to:
Read, reflect, and take what is helpful
Use the tools provided at your own pace
Explore recommended external supports when deeper care is needed
If you’re experiencing emotional distress, burnout, or crisis, I gently encourage you to seek support from qualified professionals or trusted services in your area.
This space offers guidance and resources to support carers and is designed to complement — not replace — professional care and personal support networks, through my lived experiences and acquired knowledge during my journey.
Connection Bank Account
Caring for someone with dementia can slowly drain your emotional reserves — often without you realizing it.
The Connection Bank Account is a simple way to think about how moments of connection either add to or draw from your emotional capacity. When your account is depleted, everything feels harder. When it’s supported, you’re better able to respond with patience, clarity, and care.
Credits don’t need to be big. They might include:
a moment of calm connection with your loved one
time outdoors or a quiet pause for yourself
a supportive conversation or trusted resource
rest, boundaries, or moments of pleasure
By intentionally adding small credits, you protect your wellbeing and reduce burnout - allowing care to come from steadiness rather than exhaustion. The daily challenges, grief and frustrations will debit from your account constantly beyond your control, so you want your account to have credits there regularly to sustain the debits (just like you would run a regular bank account).
This approach is drawn from my broader Sacred Connections Coaching work and adapted here to support carers in a practical, accessible way.
This space offers guidance and resources to support carers and is designed to complement — not replace — professional care and personal support networks, through my lived experiences and acquired knowledge during my journey.
About Me
Hi I'm Cally Jennings the Founder of Memory Nest
I didn’t choose this path because I planned to. I chose it because I lived it.
For seven years, I cared for my husband through Young Onset Dementia — a journey that reshaped everything I thought I knew about love, partnership, grief, and resilience. Along the way, I navigated the quiet heartbreaks no one prepares you for: the gradual losses, the role reversals, the emotional exhaustion, the loneliness, and the moments of deep tenderness that existed alongside it all.
I learned very quickly that dementia caregiving isn’t just about managing symptoms or appointments — it’s about caring for yourself while loving someone whose world is slowly changing.
This space was created for carers, partners, and family members who are doing their best in an impossible situation — often without enough support, guidance, or understanding.
Here, I share practical tips, tools, and trusted resources to help you:
navigate the emotional and practical realities of dementia care
reduce overwhelm and burnout
feel less alone in your experience
make informed decisions with greater clarity and compassion
honour both your loved one and yourself
Everything I offer is grounded in lived experience, not theory. It comes from walking this path, learning what helped, what didn’t, and what I wish I had known sooner.
My intention is simple: to offer steadiness, honesty, and reassurance — and to remind you that your wellbeing matters too.
You don’t have to do this alone.
This space offers guidance and resources to support carers and is designed to complement — not replace — professional care and personal support networks, through my lived experiences and acquired knowledge during my journey.
Testimonials
“I am incredibly grateful for the support and guidance I received. With such patience, kindness, and deep compassion, Cally helped me understand not only the practical side of coping with family members living with dementia, but also the emotional journey that comes with it. During moments when I felt overwhelmed and unsure, Cally's calm explanations and gentle reassurance made all the difference. Because of her support, I now approach my loved ones with greater empathy, understanding, and confidence. Cally's help has brought comfort not just to me, but to my entire family, and I will always be thankful for the difference Cally has made in our lives.”
Gallery
Iain Pre-dementia
This is Iain — captured on a bright, peaceful day, smiling easily in the sunshine. While he is living with early cognitive changes, this photo reflects so much more than that: warmth, presence, and the quiet strength of being fully here in the moment.
Pre-dementia does not erase a person’s essence. Lain’s humour, kindness, and humanity remain deeply intact — and moments like this remind us that connection, dignity, and joy still matter profoundly.
The geologist in him never disappeared.
Six months after a dementia diagnosis, standing beside an active volcano in New Zealand — curious, present, alive with wonder. Dementia may have changed the road ahead, but it didn’t take away his love of the earth, discovery, or adventure.
This moment reminds me that a diagnosis is not the end of meaning. Joy, identity, and passion can still find their way through.
Dementia Sweet Tooth
One of the changes that can come with dementia is a stronger preference for sweet foods. And sometimes, that looks like pure joy — a chocolate-dipped ice cream, sprinkles everywhere, and a big smile to match.
Moments like this remind me that pleasure, comfort, and simple delights still matter. Connection doesn’t disappear — it just shows up differently.
Bribery for a haircut
Sometimes it’s not about convincing — it’s about meeting someone where they are. A favourite drink, a familiar treat, and a lot of patience can turn resistance into cooperation.
The last 9 months of life with dementia.
Not the easiest season — but still filled with moments of laughter, tenderness, and connection. Dementia changed many things, but it never erased who he was. His smile, his warmth, his presence… they stayed.
These months taught me that even as memory fades, love remains — steady, familiar, and deeply felt.
Holding On, with Grace
Even as memories fade, love remains