Innovative projects - hearing the voice of people with dementiaWe have work with various organisations to consult with people with dementia about plans and services. For example We work with Pictures to Share to ensure the images included in their books were engaging and interesting for people with dementia. Find out more about our consultancy work. On this page:
Dementia Engagement and Empowerment Project (DEEP)Innovations in Dementia is part of a project run by the Mental Health Foundation called DEEP (Dementia Engagement and Empowerment Project). The project has collected information about nspiring and exciting work across the UK where people with dementia are actively involved in influencing services and policies. Examples include:
We had a fantastic response to the questionnaires – over 140 responses
in total. To bring the project to a conclusion, we are holding two events
to bring people with dementia together.
What are these events for?These events are to:
There will also be an opportunity to hear about and discuss the main results from the DEEP questionnaires. Who are the events for?These events are for people with dementia who want to talk to other people with dementia about the work they do to influence policy and practice. We aim to make the events as supportive as possible for people with dementia. People with dementia are welcome to bring along a supporter if they wish, and the project has limited funds to help with travel expenses if necessary. There is no charge to attend. Invitations are being sent to groups of people with dementia and to
individuals who completed the DEEP questionnaire. But if you know anyone
with dementia who would like to attend, please contact us. You can find more information on the Mental Health Foundation website, go to: http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/deep January 2012
Videos by people with dementia
While dementia does have an effect on communication, many people with dementia retain the ability to communicate even if their dementia is quite progressed. Many people with dementia have a story to tell, or something they want to say. Their voices are a powerful tool for challenging stigma and negative stereotypes. Our video projects Although these films have been made by people who are living with dementia, and are about people who are living with dementia, they are not just about dementia. They are about people living their lives positively, with
vitality and creativity. They are about people who are still learning,
and still growing. Download our guide on filmmaking with people with dementia as a PDF file: Telling our stories Contact us for more information December 2011 Talks and presentations by people with dementiaThinking DifferentlyHere is a video from the conference Thinking Differently about Dementia in Essex. This conference was organised by Dementia Adventure. View a video of June talking about living with dementia May 2011 People with dementia at Innovation Live event Innovation Live took place at the QEII Conference Centre in London on
12 November 2008. The event was attended by around 500 people from within
the NHS and from external organisations interested in The event was jointly run by NESTA and the NHS Institute for Innovation & Improvement. It was the first event of its kind to take an in-depth look at exploring and stimulating innovation in health. Among the exhibitors were three people with dementia supported by three
care workers from Tresham day care centre. The day centre is run by Housing21
and has been part of a project funded by NESTA. Each pair has prepared a presentation using PowerPoint. The presentations explained how they used the computers at the day centre. The delegates were very interested to hear from people with dementia about how they used the computers. And the staff and people with dementia enjoyed the day too. November 2008 Penelope gives an ‘inspirational’ talk in LondonPenelope is a ThinkTank volunteer with Innovations in Dementia. She has dementia and she also cared for her mother. Penelope has helped us with our project about an information resource of equipment. She spoke at the National Telecare Conference in London.
She answered questions from the audience as part of a workshop run by
Stephen Wey. The workshop was about how important it is to include people
with dementia in decisions about equipment that might help them.
And most importantly Penelope stressed that: Penelope certainly changed the attitudes of the conference delegates
who heard her speak. November 2009 Valuing the contribution of people with dementiaAt Innovations in Dementia, we want people with dementia to be at the heart of everything we do. We are drawing up policies around the ways we involve people with dementia in our work. A key issue is how we value the contribution that people make. Although we are a social enterprise, we charge for our services. We believe that people with dementia should be rewarded for any work they undertake with us. We are asking people for their views round incentives and payments for people with dementia. Peter Ashley has Lewy Body dementia. Peter is an associate of Innovations in Dementia. He says: Contact us Innovations in Dementia CIC, PO Box 616, Exeter, EX1 9JB Registered as a community interest company No. 06046815. © Innovations in dementia CIC 2012
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Film
is an incredibly powerful medium – through film people who are not
usually heard can be seen telling their stories in their own words.
They
showed how they took pictures of activities such as a baking day and trips.
They used these pictures to make slide shows or write an article for the
day centre newsletter. They also showed how they