“She can see how much I actually do!” Talking Mats®: helping people with dementia and family carers to discuss managing daily living

People with dementia who feel included in decisions about their care show higher well-being and positive adjustment to accepting care than those who feel their family make decisions for them (Bourgeois, 1991). Most carers want to involve the person with dementia in decision making and care arrangements, but many struggle because of the communication and cognitive problems associated with the condition. Research examined whether the Talking Mats framework could help people with dementia and their family carers feel more involved in decisions about managing their daily living. Eighteen couples (person with dementia and family carer) were asked to discuss how the person with dementia was managing their daily living activities using the Talking Mats framework (Condition A), and when having a typical conversation (Condition B). Each couple then completed a brief questionnaire separately to measure how involved they felt in both types of discussion. Both the person with dementia and their family carer felt more involved in discussions about managing daily living when using the Talking Mats framework than when having a typical conversation. Qualitative analysis of all discussions also offered insight into what people with dementia who are still living at home are managing in relation to their daily living. The study will contribute in a practical way to the current debate on how to involve people with dementia meaningfully in service planning. This will have implications for the organisation, delivery, and improvement of services to people with dementia.