DEMENTIA
The 'Transforming the Deaf Dementia Experience' Project, is a community interest initiative that supports Deaf people living with dementia and their carers. The project aims to promote a better understanding of dementia by developing accessible resources, information, and toolkits in British Sign Language (BSL).
The Project Team also provide BSL dementia friendly training for healthcare professionals, charities, organisations and dementia friendly communities and conduct research to determine the current diagnosis and provision of Dementia support.
Below you will find some helpful BSL information and resources.
Get in touch
Would you like to learn more about the Project? Get in touch with BDA Scotland.
Email: dementia.scot@bda.org.uk
How to make your Deaf Clubs/Groups more dementia friendly for Deaf members
This project will support an environment where Deaf people living with dementia have a better chance of accessing and participating in activities at Deaf clubs/groups. This project, funded by Age Scotland and About Dementia, encourages and supports grassroot activities.
How to make your Deaf Club more dementia friendly: Activities
In this BSL video, we suggest some useful activities to make your Deaf Club more dementia friendly. These activities can be used to support Deaf members or visitors who are living with dementia and help them feel more welcome and involved in Deaf Club life.
Photo albums, trophies & medals, games and TV are often good conversation starter. Photographs in particular can act as a visual connection to significant people, places and sports from the past and help people with dementia recall fond memories, which can be a source of comfort within a Deaf Club setting.
We hope this video will encourage you to arrange similar activities for your Deaf Club members, loved ones, family members or friends who are living with dementia.
How to make your Deaf Club more dementia friendly: Building & Things
In this BSL video, we suggest some simple things you can do to adapt your building to make your Deaf Club more dementia friendly. These adaptations can support Deaf members or visitors who are living with dementia, helping them to feel more welcome and involved in Deaf Club life.
Kitchen or canteen crockery, signage, toilets and clocks are often good starting points. Here, we give you tips on how to adapt things to help Deaf people with dementia feel more comfortable when they visit your Deaf Club.
We hope this video will encourage you to make some adaptions within your building and with the items you use there, to support your Deaf Club members, loved ones, family members or friends who are living with dementia.
How to make your Deaf Club more dementia friendly: Famous People & Places in Scotland
In this BSL video, we suggest some resources relating to famous people & places in Scotland which can make your Deaf Club more dementia friendly. These resources that can be used to support Deaf members or visitors who are living with dementia and help them feel more welcome and involved in Deaf Club life.
Photos of famous people, animals and places in Scotland are often good conversation starters. Photographs in particular can act as a visual connection to things from the past and help people with dementia recall fond memories, which can be a source of comfort and social conversation within a Deaf Club setting.
We hope this video will encourage you to arrange similar resources for your Deaf Club members, loved ones, family members or friends who are living with dementia.
How to make your Deaf Club more dementia friendly: Equipment
In this BSL video, we suggest how you can utilise old Deaf equipment to make your Deaf Club more dementia friendly, supporting Deaf members or visitors who are living with dementia and helping them to feel more welcome and involved in Deaf Club life.
Old minicoms, fax machines, pagers, flashing light doorbells, etc, will be familiar to many older Deaf people and can be a great conversation starter. Different pieces of Deaf equipment form a part of our history and can act as a visual connector, causing people with dementia to reflect on their past and helping them recall fond memories. Conversations with others are a way of keeping the mind active and being involved in conversations and having a laugh within a Deaf Club setting can really help Deaf people with dementia feel included and involved in Deaf Club life.
We hope this video will encourage you to use similar resources with your Deaf Club members, loved ones, family members or friends who are living with dementia.
Deaf Dementia Friendly Clubs/Groups
BDA Scotland visited a number of Deaf clubs/groups to help make them more dementia-friendly for their members.
Resources
We have provided downloadable postcards that can be used to support Deaf members or visitors who are living with dementia
Ayrshire Society for the Deaf, Kilmarnock
BDA Scotland – How to make your Deaf Club more dementia-friendly: Ayrshire Society for the Deaf, Kilmarnock
This BSL video was filmed at Ayrshire Society for the Deaf. The Society is working hard to make their Deaf Club more dementia friendly by making changes that support Deaf members or visitors who are living with dementia and help them feel more welcome and involved in Deaf Club life.
This video shows some good examples of activities, adaptions to the building and use of things such as history of Deaf Club, photographs, trophies & medals, games, signages and kitchen in the Deaf Club setting to make it more dementia friendly for Deaf members.
We hope this video will encourage you to make similar changes at your Deaf Club, following these examples of good practice, to help your Deaf Club members, loved ones, family members or friends who are living with dementia feel more comfortable, involved and engaged in Deaf Club life.
UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING - DEMENTIA VIDEOS
BDA Scotland’s dementia project focuses on the Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) within the Iris Murdoch Building at the University of Stirling. The Iris Murdoch Building opened in 2002 and was the first dementia-friendly public building in the UK. It provides visual examples for those looking to understand how they can make their space more supportive and friendly for someone living with dementia.