Effective communication is at the heart of compassionate dementia care. The Supporting Communication in Dementia workshop at Dorothy House, offers a valuable opportunity for people living with mild to moderate dementia and their communication partners to strengthen understanding, connection, and emotional wellbeing.
Led by a Speech and Language Therapist alongside an Admiral Nurse Specialist in Dementia, this five-week group workshop is designed to provide practical strategies that support communication both now and into the future. Each weekly session focuses on an essential area that can make a meaningful difference in daily life.
Participants will explore the power of non-verbal communication support, learning how facial expressions, gestures, eye contact, and body language can help maintain connection when words become more difficult. The course also highlights the importance of using music in communication, showing how familiar songs and melodies can unlock memories, reduce anxiety, and encourage meaningful interaction. Another key focus is using touch in communication, helping carers and loved ones understand how safe, gentle touch can offer reassurance, comfort, and emotional security.
The workshop also supports families with advanced care planning, encouraging open conversations about future wishes, dignity, and person-centred care.
Finally, the session on mindfulness and serenity promotes calmness, emotional balance, and coping strategies for both individuals living with dementia and those supporting them, recognising that wellbeing is essential for everyone involved.
This workshop is more than a course; it is a chance to build confidence, preserve relationships, and improve quality of life through compassionate communication. By empowering both individuals with dementia and their loved ones, it helps create stronger, more supportive connections where they matter most.
This is a group workshop for people living with mild to moderate dementia, and their communication partner*. The sessions take place on Fridays from 9:30am to 12:30pm at Dorothy House, Winsley, across five weeks: 22 May, 29 May, 5 June, 12 June, and 19 June.
(*A communication partner is anyone you regularly communicate with, e.g. a partner/spouse, son/daughter, carer, close friend or other relative.)
For more information and/or to apply for a place, please call the Dorothy House Clinical Coordination Centre on 0345 0130 555
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