AT Gibraltar Nursing Home in Monmouthshire, supporting people living on a cognitive journey often means stepping into a reality that differs from our own. In these moments, emotional reassurance can sometimes be more important than ‘telling the truth.’

This approach, sometimes known as therapeutic lying, involves responding with compassion to reduce anxiety and protect a person’s sense of comfort and safety.

If a person asks for their mother, father, or loved one who has passed away, forgetting that they are no longer with us, correcting them may re-open grief or make the loss feel a though it is happening it is happening for the first time.

This is why a therapeutic lie may be emotionally kinder in the moment.

One family member who lives at the care home, Audrey known as Jingy, finds great comfort in caring for her soft toy dogs, which in reality are beloved rescued pets.

Rather than correcting her, the team support Jingy in this world she has created, speaking about her dogs with her and using them to help reassure her during moments where she may feel anxious or unsettled.

For Jingy, the dogs provide companionship, purpose and a sense of calm. For the team it is a reminder that person-centred care is about meeting people where they are and protecting their emotional wellbeing.