Trial of comms scheme for carers of people with dementia launches

Dementia aging - A unique psychological and social intervention which trains family and informal carers to communicate more effectively with the person they support is being trialed in Manchester. The £255,000 scheme run by dementia communications specialists at The University of Manchester, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Age UK and the University of Salford aims to improve relationships between people living with dementia and their carers. Called ' Empowered Conversations' and funded by the National Institute of Health Research, carers are invited to sign up for the 6 online sessions, held over 2 hours in groups of up to 12 people. The course is delivered by specially trained facilitators who have themselves cared for someone with dementia. They train carers in using a conversational style of communication, rather than direct questioning, encouraging the carer and person with dementia to respond to cues. The groups give carers opportunity to reflect on how they communicate, share their experiences with each other, and learn techniques to help them manage their stress levels. A first research study into a face-to-face version of Empowered Conversationscarried out before the pandemic - showed it reduced carer stress and improved communication.