What is the Dementia Dictionary?
The Dementia Dictionary is a free service for everyone to use. Anyone can visit the dictionary to search for actions, noises, behaviours, and body language that their loved one is performing and look for answers as to why it is happening and what that person is trying to communicate. If there is no definition available or the ones provided do not answer the question, then anyone can submit a question, action, or behaviour to be discussed by the whole globally network of Dementia Interpreters to help find the answer.
How is it Built?
The best people to help create the content of the Dementia Dictionary are the people who have first-hand experience of supporting people with dementia. People in every level and care setting, as well as families who support people with dementia, have the combined knowledge and experience to help benefit everyone and the dictionary is a place to bring them all together to do exactly this.
A global network of Dementia Interpreters discusses different behaviours, noises, actions, emotions, and body language and translate them into an understandable language. It is these translations and definitions that are published into the Dementia Dictionary and help to build the content within it.
A global network of Dementia Interpreters discusses different behaviours, noises, actions, emotions, and body language and translate them into an understandable language. It is these translations and definitions that are published into the Dementia Dictionary and help to build the content within it.
How does the Dementia Dictionary work?
As mentioned, anyone can submit a question, emotion, action, behaviour, or body language to be discussed by Dementia Interpreters. How long this takes will vary depending on the question, how common it is, how much conversation is required to discover the answers.
Every Dementia Interpreter can get involved in the conversations and submit their own translation for each topic raised in the forum. A team of Level 5 Interpreters will continually get involved but also decide which translations are approved as definitions. All interpreters can help them decide by “upvoting” for translations they agree with, but the decision is made by a team of Level 5 Interpreters.
We understand that dementia is as unique as the people who live with it and therefore, it is not likely to be a situation where one definition offers a definitive answer for everyone. There will be times where an action, behaviour, or question has multiple answers, and this means that even defined situations can still be discussed and the content of the dictionary will evolve and develop over time.
Who can use the Dementia Dictionary?
Everyone can use the dictionary. Anyone can ask questions and use the dictionary to search for answers. It is the forum that is restricted to Dementia Interpreters to discuss and use their first-hand experience to translate the Language of Dementia. Any Dementia Interpreter can submit their own questions as well as helping to answer other people’s.
The Dementia Dictionary is a freely available service for everyone and with your help we can grow it to become the number one resource to help people with dementia, to help people who support those with dementia, and to re-connect families, loved ones, and care staff with their residents.