41106459/VB

Listening to People with Dementia

Avril EastonThe Alzheimer Society of Ireland

June 2013

Background to the Project

• As an organisation we are committed to hearing the voice of people living with dementia.

• Always trying to identify opportunities to promote the direct involvement of people with dementia in our work

• Grasped the opportunity to work with DFI and their Listening and Changing programme

Working Group Composition

• Facilitator• Person with dementia• Carer• ASI coordinator of project• DFI Support Officer• ASI Head of Services• Key members of staff from across the

organisation but mainly from our services• Branch chair (also a volunteer)

What we did

• Established working group • Decision taken by the working group to

focus on people with early stage dementia whom we have never had direct contact with before

• Hosted a listening exercise in December to gather information from people in order to improve how we meet their needs and deliver our services going forward

17th December 2012

What we heard

1. Diagnosis 2. Information and Services3. Living Well with Dementia

Outcomes• The findings demonstrate that when

people with dementia are facilitated to be involved in a meaningful way, they have many thoughts and views on issues that they wish to contribute.

• Identified new key advocates for us as an organisation

• Established first Irish Working Group of People with Dementia

Learning from the Project

Key Factors1. Facilitator2. Involvement of person

with dementia3. Enthusiasm of the

working group4. Focusing on new

people that we had not encountered before

Challenges

1. No Board Member

2. Coordination of project

3. Communicating the work across the organisation

Thank You!

For more information:avril.easton@alzheimer.ie

www.alzheimer.ie info@alzheimer.ie

National Free Helpline:1800 341 341