One of the abilities retained for people with dementia (PWD) are their emotional capabilities Brooker & Lillyman (2013) suggest people with dementia increasingly communicate through emotions as verbal communication declines. The ability to interpret and continue to communicate through non-verbal language is an incredibly powerful and meaningful aspect of ongoing wellbeing for all involved in the relationship with PWD. Furthermore, Brooker & Lillyman (2013) discuss how non-verbal communication can be enhanced by the carers understanding of how to support non-verbal communication and respond, in turn enabling the person to feel heard. For example, helping guide supportive communication through the application of the skills and techniques of validation,…show more content… Social interaction can be encouraged and enabled through tapping into people’s creativity through the use of meaningful activities. Hammer, Emami, Engstrom, & Gotell (2011) discuss how communication can be encouraged through singing, music, dancing, and reminiscences. Such interactions enable and facilitate varying levels of verbal and non-verbal communication, which their research indicated that PWD were able to increase their ability to communicate opinions and preferences.
Talking mats Murphy & Oliver (2013) are a simple visual tool that can assist a person with speech impairments to communicate their feelings or likes and dislikes to topics discussion. Talking mats can give a person with dementia an opportunity to participate in decisions through the use of visual images and demonstrate opinion as like or dislike. Being able to participate in communication relating to care and lifestyle can positively impact the decisions surrounding the care environment, such as how long a person can remain living at home.
The benefits of this augmentative or alternative communication tool are the opportunities for involvement and encouragement of communication through the use of visual cues. Often when a person is in a later stage of dementia, the ability to maintain conversation is impaired. Talking mats offer a manner to engage both the person with dementia and their carers in an ongoing conversation supported through visual
