Help for people living with dementia - DEMtalk
DEMtalk is a modifiable toolkit designed to help people living with dementia and their carers by setting out simple advice about communication. The problems associated with dementia can make communication difficult -‐ but there are techniques that can help.
DEMtalk has its origins in discussions between people living with dementia, their relatives and friends, professionals from care backgrounds and communications specialists. The Alzheimer’s Society facilitated its development along with Newcastle University. It was designed in the belief that people living with dementia have a right to control over their own lives, that clear communication helps to offer that control, and that thinking through how we approach communication can help everyone.
DEMTalk, designed in the UK, has won the James J. Bradac prize in the USA and a care innovation award for David’s House, a home for people living with dementia in London. It is being used in many countries. It is and will always be free to anybody who wants to use it.
DEMtalk is designed to be user-‐friendly for everyone, including people who may not be very technical. It offers advice and has stories about people living and communicating with dementia. It also encourages people to share their own experiences and to make suggestions of their own, so that it will evolve over time.
DEMtalk is overseen by Dr Tony Young, a communications professional, and Dr John Vines, a design expert, both of Newcastle University, Dr David Howells, a Psychiatrist, and Christopher Manthorp, a dementia care professional and writer on the subject.
The DEMtalk website is located at www.demtalk.org.uk. Please visit, and tell us what you think. There are options to leave feedback and to share you stories - please take a look and tell us what you think!
Dr Tony Young can be contacted at tony.young@ncl.ac.uk