Volunteering to work with people with dementia was an opportunity that Mr Hugo Lorimer knew he couldn’t pass-up.

The science and psychology student from University of Canberra (UC) said, “Utilising the counselling skills of communication, creativity and flexibility in a real-world application was a priceless experience.”

The Know Me Dementia Program, run by the Australian National University (ANU) , is a 16-week, randomised controlled trial to determine if reminiscence therapy and a 4-minute digital story about a person’s life can support better person-centred care for people living with dementia.

The purpose of the research is to evaluate if the digital story helps staff to get to know the resident’s identity so they can provide more person-centred care.

“Being able to deliver person centred care was a big reason for wanting to be part of the project,” Mr Lorimer advised.

“My approach was to have fun and to encourage a safe space where all discussion was welcomed. I found this led to a positive experience for the people I was working with and also for me.”

“The aim when undertaking reminiscence therapy and creating a digital story was to capture the essence of the person.”

“The therapy involved sitting with the person for an hour at a time and listening to them discussing their life. I would ask questions to support the conversation and take notes so I could work on the digital story.”

“A big part of keeping the conversation flowing revolves around how the questions are asked. We were provided some tools to support the process such as cue cards. In addition, utilising other cues beyond verbal communication, was key.”

“During training I was taught to utilise all five senses to facilitate communication – sight, sound, touch, smell and taste. For example, seeing a photograph, smelling a scent or hearing a piece of music can help unlock a memory.”

“The ability to be creative and adaptable when working with the person is also very important as each person’s cognitive abilities are different, so what works with one person won’t necessarily work with the next.”

“In my conversations, I’d hear details about the person’s childhood, career accomplishments, places they had travelled, sporting interests or their family life. Really, anything memorable and of importance to them.”

“Which ever areas they talked about became the focus for the digital story,” Mr Lorimer added.

Dr Katrina Anderson, Chief Investigator for the project, said, “The digital story allows care staff to have a deeper understanding about the person and their life.”

“Residents have lived rich lives and have many experiences and an identity beyond their dementia.”

“As one resident expressed ‘This is a lovely room but I need more than a room. I need people to talk to. Having [the volunteer] visit and the story humanised me’.”

“Her digital story portrayed her as a determined 'woman on a mission', rather than an older person in a chair,” Associate Professor Anderson added.

Mr Lorimer shared, “One of the people I worked with died during our time together.  I decided to write about his life from what he had shared with me and the details were provided to his family.”

“I later learned that the story was shared with extended family at his funeral.  That was a very special moment for me.  I felt so good knowing that my small contribution had made such a positive impact.”

The project is funded by the Medical Research Future Fund and includes partners from Warrigal and Sapphire Coast Community Aged Care as well as the Swinburne University of Technology, the University of Sydney, University of Wollongong, Southern NSW Local Health District and National Ageing Research Institute.