Dementia Diaries is a UK-wide project that brings together people’s diverse experiences of living with Dementia as a series of audio diaries. It serves as a public record and a personal archive that documents the views, reflections and day-to-day lives of people living with dementia, with the aim of prompting dialogue and changing attitudes.
The people behind Dementia Diaries take safeguarding of the Diarists seriously.
They listen to every diary before it is posted on the website and always act if they have concerns.
Dementia Diaries Website
Who are we working with?
They are all part of the Dementia Engagement and Empowerment Project (DEEP). The Dementia Diaries initiative was designed by the non-profit communications agency On Our Radar (www.onourradar.org). It was launched by On Our Radar in January 2015 in partnership with Innovations in Dementia, Ownfone and Comic Relief, and was handed over to Innovations in Dementia in August 2016.
Phase 2 of the project is funded jointly by Comic Relief and BIG Lottery Fund.
A team from Leeds Beckett University was asked to evaluate the success of Dementia Diaries. A dementia-friendly summary of their findings is available here (pdf, opens in a new tab) or you can download the full report here (pdf, opens in a new tab).
The website provides the audio recording and a written transcript of each diary, you can volunteer to transcribe the audio diaries here
This weeks Diaries include:
RAE REFLECTS UPON THE GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS PAST.
A LOVELY CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM KEITH
TRACEY HAS REDISCOVERED SOME OLD SKILLS AND IS STARTING TO RELAX.
IT’S FREEZING DOWN IN CORNWALL, AND STEPHEN IS GRAPPLING WITH A THORNY ISSUE.
RAE JUST WANTS TO BE HEARD.
‘YOU DON’T LOOK LIKE YOU HAVE DEMENTIA’ KEITH PONDERS THIS OFT-HEARD PHRASE.
GLENDA IS LOOKING FORWARD TO CHRISTMAS – MOSTLY.
AGNES IS GETTING FRUSTRATED WITH LOSING THINGS.
DORY “A THONG, A BOTTLE OF WINE AND A PACK OF TENA LADIES”
Come by next week to hear more
Note for Professionals
You can use these Diaries as part of your Dementia Training.
As a courtesy, please email Rachel Niblock at [email protected] to let her know that you will be using some of the Diaries, it helps when applying for funding in the future.
