Help people with dementia maintain independent social lives
It’s important for people with dementia to stay socially connected so they can enjoy a high quality of life and keep from feeling isolated. With a little support, people with dementia who want to, can take the initiative and plan their own social lives.
This will help someone living with dementia maintain their independence and feel more in control. There may be times when someone wants to do the planning, and times when they don’t. It’s important to recognise those times and support the person living with dementia with whatever option they choose.
Here’s how you can help:
- Ask the person living with dementia if they want help to plan social activities
- Focus on the abilities and strengths of the person, not what they can’t do. Value the contributions they make.
- If it is a social event with an activity, don’t assume the person can’t participate because they have dementia.
- Use clever technology, like our social planner below.
Download our easy social planner to help people with dementia make plans
If someone you know lives with dementia, you can help them maintain an independent social life by downloading and sharing our social planner with them.
The planner is designed to be dementia-friendly and assist people to make plans and to prompt for upcoming events with friends and family.
Download our easy social planner to help people with dementia make plans
The Dementia Australia Advisory Committee, made up of people who live with dementia, have developed the below resources includung tips for using video conferencing technology including Zoom and information for supporting people living with dementia to stay social.
- Let’s Talk Brochure
- Using Zoom – Guidelines for meetings
- Using Zoom – Participating in meetings
- Zoom tips – How to get the best out of the experience
- Zoom tips – On holding a dementia-friendly meeting
- Zoom tips – Tools and examples
With a little support, people with dementia who want to, can take the initiative and plan their own social lives.