Dementia and sensory loss: Video introduction

In this video we learn about the importance of finding out if a person living with dementia has sight loss, hearing loss or both.  Only when these conditions are managed can carers communicate and support the person to live as well as possible.  A person centred approach can  improve the quality of life and well being for the person living with dementia and sensory loss.  In this film we meet Nansi who has dementia and hearing loss, Jim who has has dementia and sight loss, and Sheila who has dementia and both sight loss and hearing loss. 

Messages for practice

1. When a person is living with dementia it is important to find out if they have hearing loss, sight loss or both.
2. Getting to know the person with dementia and sensory loss, their background, their likes and their dislikes and how they prefer to communicate is an important part of providing person centred care.
3. Supporting an individual with dementia and sensory loss requires patience and understanding.
4. Any form of sensory loss can make a person with dementia feel isolated; this can have an impact on their emotional well being.
5. Visit the Dementia and sensory loss section of SCIE's Dementia Gateway for information on supporting someone with dementia and sensory loss
    

Who will find this useful?

Care staff, care managers, social workers, care providers, supervisors, nursing staff, residential care providers,nurses, occupational therapists, trainers, training providers, registered managers, carers, people with dementia, friends and family of people with dementia, housing staff. 

This film was made in partnership and partly funded by Thomas Pocklington Trust, a charity working with people with sight loss.

• Useful links Open

  Dementia and deafness: What you need to know
  This 2005 booklet from Deaf Action in Scotland is based on an exploratory study into the experience of being Deaf with dementia conducted by Deaf Action and the University of Stirling’s Dementia Services Development Centre.

  Dementia and sight loss
  The RNIB website has an extensive section on dementia and sight loss, including a leaflet on ‘Dementia and sight loss’, frequently asked questions, and a factsheet on ‘Cataracts and dementia’.

  Good practice in the design of homes and living spaces for people with dementia and sight loss
  These 2014 guidelines from Thomas Pocklington Trust and Stirling University present practical steps to improve the independence of people with dementia and sight loss, whether they are living in their own home or a care home. The resource is available in audio format as well as in written text.

  Joining up
  This 2013 report from Action on Hearing Loss and the Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre (UCL) argues that a joined-up approach is needed to the assessment, diagnosis and management of both hearing loss and dementia.

  The Dementia and Sight Loss Interest Group
  This is an interest group within VISION 2020, and brings together a range of organisations working in this area. In 2016, VISION 2020 UK and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists launched a quality standard to help ophthalmology departments adapt and design their services to meet the needs of people with dementia..

• Related pages from this section Open

  • Sensory loss
    • Introduction
    • Video introduction
    • Sight loss
    • Hearing loss
    • Deafness
    • Deafblindness