04/09/2026
💜🎗️ September Awareness Month 🎗️💜
This September is Alzheimer & Dementia, Chiari Malformation and Chronic Pain awareness month.
Awareness is about more than knowing the name of a condition. It’s about understanding how it can affect a person’s independence, relationships, communication, mobility, confidence and quality of life and knowing how we can provide meaningful support. 💜
🧠 Alzheimer’s & Dementia Awareness
Dementia is not one specific disease. It is an umbrella term for a group of conditions that affect the brain, with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common form of dementia.
It can affect memory, thinking, communication, behaviour and a person’s ability to manage everyday activities. As dementia progresses, people may require increasing levels of support while still wanting to maintain their independence, dignity and sense of identity.
💜 How can we support someone living with dementia?
At Kefi Supports, we recognise that the person is still the person and that their diagnosis does not define them.
We can take the time to understand who they are, what they enjoy, what is important to them and how they prefer to be supported. We can create a familiar and reassuring environment, communicate in ways that work for the individual, and provide encouragement without taking away their independence.
Sometimes support means helping someone complete a task. Other times, it means simply being present, listening and providing reassurance when things feel confusing or overwhelming.
🧠 Chiari Awareness Month
Chiari malformation occurs when part of the brain, particularly the lower part of the cerebellum, extends into the spinal canal. It can interfere with the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid and may cause a range of neurological symptoms.
Symptoms can vary greatly between individuals and may include **headaches or neck pain, dizziness, balance difficulties, fatigue, muscle weakness, numbness, coordination difficulties and problems with vision or hearing**.
For some people, Chiari can have a significant impact on mobility, energy levels and their ability to participate in everyday activities.
💜 How can we support someone living with Chiari?
Supporting someone with Chiari means recognising that what they can manage may change from day to day.
Rather than making assumptions about what someone is capable of, we can listen to how they're feeling, respect their limits and support them to participate in the things that matter to them.
A good support worker can help create an environment where someone doesn't feel they need to constantly explain or justify their symptoms. We can work alongside the individual, adapting our approach when their needs change and helping them maintain as much choice, control and independence as possible.
Most importantly, we can acknowledge that invisible symptoms are still real symptoms. 💜
💜 Pain Awareness Month
Chronic pain, also known as persistent pain, is pain that continues or recurs over a prolonged period. Unlike short-term pain from an injury, chronic pain can become a long-term condition that affects many areas of a person's life.
It can impact sleep, movement, mood, concentration, relationships, employment, social activities and independence. Importantly, pain isn't always visible, someone may be experiencing significant pain even when there are no obvious physical signs.
💜 How can we support someone living with chronic pain?
Supporting someone with chronic pain starts with believing their experience.
There isn't a one-size-fits-all approach to living with pain. What works for one person may not work for another, and what someone can do one day may be different the next.
Our role is to work with the individual rather than telling them what they should or shouldn't be able to do. We can encourage participation without creating pressure, respect when someone needs to slow down, and help people continue engaging with the activities, relationships and routines that give their lives meaning.
Sometimes the best support isn't doing more, it's understanding when to step in, when to step back, and when simply to listen.
💜 At Kefi Supports, we believe good support starts with understanding.
We believe that great support begins with seeing the person, not just the diagnosis.
Every person has different experiences, strengths, goals and preferences. As support workers, our role is to build trust, listen without judgement, respect individual choices and provide support that enables people to have greater independence, confidence and control in their everyday lives.
This September, let's take the opportunity to learn more, listen more and understand more. 💜🎗️
