dementia innovation sarah reed presentation - open forum events

Sarah Reed

REAL Communication works

REAL Communication works

a powerful tool for life and wellbeing

that’s easy and fun to use

How can we care for people unless we care about them?

How can we care about them if we don’t know who they are?

How can we know who they are, if we don’t know where they’ve come from?

REAL Communication

Reminiscence

Empathic engagement

Active listening

Life story

Reminiscence

Reflecting on where we’ve come from and sharing past experiences.

It helps us to understand each other and our different experiences.

Empathic Engagement

Feeling connection

Understanding

Feeling kindness

Feeling compassion

Share your sweet memories with the person next to you… tell them where you bought

them… what the shop was like… the shopkeeper… the bag they came in…

who you shared them with… pocket money

… See Hear Feel …

How do the other person’s memories

and your own, make you feel?

Share your observations and feelings

• Reminiscence

Where we’ve come from and sharing past experiences

• Empathic engagement

Understanding and feeling kindness compassion

• Active listeningis better for all of us when we really hear each other

• Life story

Active Listening

Life is better for all of us, when we really hear each other

I

Sorry, I can’t hear you… Yes I hear you!

• Reminiscence

Where we’ve come from and sharing past experiences

• Empathic engagement

Understanding feeling kindness compassion

• Active listening

Life is better for all of us when we really hear each other

• Life story

Life story

Everyone’s life experiences shape and influence who we are today

Life story

• We all enjoy talking about our life experiences • To discover a person's past experiences is to

understand better who they are now• We also learn about ourselves through the

process, so it’s good for all of us

Cast your mind back to being a child...

Tell your partner about

the main door

to your home

This might be called

getting under the person’s radar

Knowing a person well

promotes relational care

• Reminiscence

Where we’ve come from and sharing past experiences

• Empathic engagement

Understanding feeling kindness compassion

• Active listening

Life is better for all of us when we really hear each other

• Life story

Everyone’s life experiences shape & influence who we are now

REAL Communication works because it’s a powerful tool for

life and wellbeing

that’s easy and fun to use

REAL Communication works because we all want the

REAL thing

Based on The Reminiscence Bump

Our long-term memories are most often triggered by sensory catalysts

Some of our lovely clients:

Barchester Healthcare

City University School of Health Sciences

Kingston University & St Georges Hospital

Norfolk & Suffolk Dementia Alliance

Rhonda-Cynan-Taff Staff Training Development

Swansea Social Services Staff Development

Trinity St David’s, Carmarthen

We’re listening

Let’s explore together how

REAL Communication

could make a real difference

in your organisation

sarah.reed@manyhappyreturns.org

07976 287 952