Dementia Communication: Training Videos

Co-producing dementia communication training videos

We worked together with co-researchers living with dementia, the Forget Me Not research group, to create a series of 5 videos that address common issues in communication. The Forget Me Not co-researchers have given their ideas for what works, and suggestions for alternative ways of doing things such as everyday conversations, asking questions, and putting on quizzes for people living with dementia. These videos are not intended to offer a ‘one size fits all’ approach to communication, because what for one person may not work for another. However, they do highlight common communication issues, and are intended to be used to reflect upon these areas so that the viewer becomes tuned in to the details of how these interactions work.

What are these videos for?

The videos are an interactive way of learning more about dementia and communication, as well as prompting viewers to think about what they would do in certain situations, and to reflect on different ways of approaching these interactions; making small changes in communication can have a big effect. The videos have ‘pause points’ where the viewer is asked to consider questions, or to do a task based on the interaction. There are also discussion points, and suggestions from co-researchers living with dementia.

Where did these videos come from?

Over two years we made videos of people living with dementia talking to the staff who support them. Sometimes they were in pairs, and other times they were in groups like memory cafes or day centres. We used a ‘Conversation Analysis’ approach to examine the videos, viewing and reviewing the videos in order to understand better how the ‘routine’ methods of conversation are adapted or shaped in this context. We also took our key extracts back to co-researchers, the Forget-me-Not group, who drew upon their experiences of living with dementia to bear in their responses to the data. They discussed the findings, and also re-imagined how they would like communication to happen. Their insights form the basis of these videos which we have produced.

Who are the videos for?

We hope they will be used by family members, staff, trainers and people living with dementia to reflect on and work through everyday situations. We want to make sure that everyone can live well with dementia, and how we talk to one another is a big part of that.

The videos focus on:

This would not have been possible without Cara and Abi from Moorelavan films http://www.moorelavanfilms.co.uk/. Our thanks to them for making the videos.