The words that float away
Towards the end of my London book launch, the fabulous Maff Potts mentioned his frustration with “positive language”. It was lovely to be able to show him the ‘recommended resources’…
‘The elderly’ and ‘the wellderly’: why the language of ageing makes us go hmmm…
Today is United Nations International Day of Older Persons, observed under the theme “Older Persons Driving Local and Global Action: Our Aspirations, Our Well-Being and Our Rights”. It’s a day to…
Letter to Bryony S
Yesterday I received a direct message on Instagram from Maria. She said she hoped I didn’t mind her writing to me out of the blue, but that she was reading…
Words that make me go hmmm: Professional
‘Professional’ is yet another of the ‘us and them’ words that dominate our narrative. It’s a blanket term used to distinguish the people who work in organisations (regardless of any…
People with lived experience
In my previous ‘What do we call them?’ post, I wrote about ‘people we support’ and ‘people who draw on care and support’ – two phrases that are increasingly replacing…
Rewriting Social Care: the book!
You’ve read the blog, now read the book… Rewriting Social Care THE BOOK is now available to buy from all good bookshops! Based on my Rewriting social care blog posts, with…
What do we call them?
As part of the Gloriously Ordinary Language programme I run with Tricia Nicoll, we spend a full day focusing on the language we use to communicate with and about people. We begin…
Words that make me go hmmm: Signposting
“Signposting: “the act of telling someone which organization they need to go to to find the help they need.” Cambridge Dictionary [1] “‘Signposting’ indicates that the client will not be…
Words that make me go hmmm: Demand
While many words make me go hmmm, there are some that make me squirm the most, either due to what they reflect about the way we think about people (like…
Words that make me go hmmm: Pathway
“Pathways: Not sure. But modelled on Hampton Court Maze.” Mark Neary [1] In everyday life, pathways meander through parks or fields or forests, offering direction. A route towards a destination.…
Dreams
“Living an unfilled life carries a greater risk of harm than what may befall someone in pursuit of their dreams. The latter can be folded into a story; the former…
Beds
While the word ‘bed’ might not have the same depth of meaning as ‘home’, if you think about your own bed, it may well evoke similar associations and emotions. Familiarity.…
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Rewriting social care 