Abstract
This paper considers how Talking Mats can reduce the burden of dementia by supporting communication for people with dementia and their carers.
Communication is the most fundamental requirement for human interaction. As dementia advances through the different stages of the illness, communication between the person with dementia and their carers becomes more challenging and can be the foremost problem and cause of distress both for the person with the diagnosis and for their carers.
Firstly, it discusses the importance, and defines the problem, of communication for people with dementia and their carers. It then describes Talking Mats, an innovative communication tool. The paper then outlines a seminal research project which determined how effective Talking Mats is for people at different stages of dementia. Additional Talking Mats projects are then summarised. They demonstrate how Talking Mats can help decision making and self-management for couples living with dementia and also how Talking Mats can be used positively by staff working with people with dementia in a long-stay hospital. Publications by other researchers are also referred to. Finally, this paper offers implications for clinical practice and policy.