Here in the Western Isles, we recently welcomed two Speech and Language Therapy students on their practice placement. It was a great opportunity for the students to lead a project designed to help day centre staff maximise communication and participation for people living with dementia. Facilitated by an existing partnership with Karen Mackenzie (Specialist Speech and Language Therapist at the Western Isles Hospital), and supported by Elaine Hunter (National Allied Health Professional Consultant), students Katie and Olivia sought to demonstrate the use of Talking Mats as an effective communication resource for people living with dementia and their carers.
Many of our clients and their carers benefit from local Alzheimer Scotland services and we were keen to develop our community partnership with the day centre. Working with people with dementia is not a “specialist” role and, as AHPs, we need to embed dementia learning in practice placements so that our future workforce offers equitable support to people living with dementia.
A Talking Mat is a low-tech tool designed to reduce the impact of communication difficulties experienced by people with cognitive conditions, including dementia. Each comprises three sets of picture symbols. The first symbol represents a topic, the second represents options associated with that topic, and the third provides opportunity for people to indicate how they feel by placing a symbol below a visual scale. Talking Mats are accessible in physical formats that people can handle, and digitally via tablet, laptop and computer apps. The concept was developed to enable people who find speech or writing difficult to express their feelings and views more easily.
Acting on feedback from a recent staff survey, Katie and Olivia identified an opportunity to deliver information sessions at the SOLAS Daycare Centre in Stornoway. Participants included Day Centre staff, people living with dementia, their families and carers. The aim was to highlight how Talking Mats can be used in everyday practice to help people articulate their opinions in an inclusive way, when verbal communication is a barrier. At the end of each session, feedback was gathered, with people encouraged to reflect and ask questions to further consolidate their learning.
Following completion of the sessions, there was consensus that Talking Mats are a useful intervention, both to help people express their feelings without relying on the spoken word, and to help staff and carers understand more about the person/people they support. The direction offered by Katie and Olivia was highly valued and gave staff confidence to put learning in to practice.
Christine MacLeod, Daycare Organiser, said:
“It was a pleasure to have two Speech and Language students attend our Day Centre. They were a ray of sunshine, both for our staff and those we support. They conducted observations, offering constructive feedback, and joined in with one of our music sessions – even singing a song for us. Their training on Talking Mats enabled us to get to know more about two people we actively support – it was an excellent activity and one we will continue to use. We also interacted through a game of ‘bat and balloon’, which everyone enjoyed – there was a lot of laughter among the group!”
The introductory sessions provided by Katie and Olivia have opened the door to more formal training offered by NHS Western Isles and paved the way for similar partnership opportunities in the future. Most importantly, an important need has been recognised: ensuring that we provide person-centred care, which reflects the opinion and individuality of people living with dementia.
To find out more about Talking Mats, visit www.talkingmats.com
Contributor. Karen McKenzie, Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (Adult), Western Isles Hospital, Stornoway
