The use of Talking Mats to improve communication and quality of care for people with dementia

Abstract

Enabling people with dementia to continue to communicate their views, needs and preferences as their condition progresses is essential for development of person‐centred services and care facilities. This paper describes part of a 15‐month research project funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. It examined the effectiveness of Talking Mats, a low‐technology communication tool, to help people with dementia express their opinions, in comparison with usual communication methods. The study involved 31 people at different stages of dementia who were interviewed about their well‐being under three conditions: unstructured (ordinary) conversation, structured conversation and Talking Mats conversation. The study found that Talking Mats can improve the communication ability of many people at all stages of dementia in expressing their views about their well‐being.

Citation

Murphy, J., Gray, C. and Cox, S. (2007), "The use of Talking Mats to improve communication and quality of care for people with dementia", Housing, Care and Support, Vol. 10 No. 3, pp. 21-28. https://doi.org/10.1108/14608790200700018