The Living Well with Dementia Toolkit bridges the critical gap between healthcare systems and the lived experience of people impacted by dementia. Developed by an interdisciplinary team at Ariadne Labs, this toolkit reflects insights from two years of human-centered design and research that engaged directly with people living with dementia, their families, advocates, care providers and dementia experts.
Created to help families develop the knowledge, skills and support to live well with dementia, the Toolkit offers practical tools to navigate each step of the journey with confidence. It offers a flexible roadmap to the changing landscape of dementia that can be adapted to meet people where they are and attend to what matters most to them at any moment in their journey. It addresses the wide range of areas impacted by dementia, with a focus on quality of life for the person with dementia and their supporters, care partners and family. Currently in early testing, the Living Well with Dementia Toolkit is available for download below or on our virtual toolkit website.
TOOLKIT COMPONENTS
Dementia Check-In
A worksheet that guides a conversation exploring what is working well and where there are current challenges for the individual and family or supporters living with dementia.
ACTION PLAN
A worksheet to identify and document actionable next steps for solving problems and adjusting to new needs.
CIRCLE OF SUPPORT
A worksheet to reflect on, identify and map current and potential sources of support.
DEMENTIA JOURNEY
A visual illustrating the recurrent cycle of change that people experience while living with dementia.
Conversation & Emotion Cards
These provide more detailed prompts and possible solutions for common issues that arise for people living with dementia. These cards focus on daily life and include a set of emotion cards, to help understand the lived experience of dementia.
TRAINING & IMPLEMENTATION RESOURCES
LIVING WELL WITH DEMENTIA TOOLKIT IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE
The Implementation Guide offers practical steps for adapting and using the Toolkit in different settings. Built around the EPIS framework, it provides real-world tips and case studies to help users apply and continually improve the Toolkit in practice.
VIRTUAL FACILITATOR GUIDE
This adapted version of the toolkit is designed for facilitators to use during virtual tele-health sessions and was developed based on feedback from our testers.
FACILITATOR TRAINING SLIDES
These slides present an introduction to the Living Well with Dementia Toolkit as well as guidance on how to use them, a video showing their use with a person with dementia and their spouse, and an exercise for practicing using the toolkit components.