Podcast launch to help dementia carers

The idea for the Gaelic language lesson podcasts initially came from a local care home.

Carers without Gaelic were finding it a struggle to understand people with dementia, who had reverted to using their first language Gaelic through the progress of the dementia.

The team at the Stornoway centre also recorded a series of Gaelic Culture podcasts at Wee Studio in Stornoway, relating to island life and culture, in Gaelic and English, to be downloaded and shared by people across the islands.

These can reach people in their homes, in groups, care centres and day centres. They offer Gaelic language and cultural celebration, which has been highlighted as being particularly important and meaningful to people living with dementia.

These tools are intended for people who may have memories of the subjects in discussion but they are also really useful for anyone interested in Gaelic and island culture. Some podcasts are in Gaelic, some in English and some are a mixture of the two.

You can download the podcasts from: https://dfclanntair.wordpress.com/podcasts/

The project team are thrilled with the podcasts so far and there will be more as the project develops.

The podcasts are being showcased at local care homes and groups over the next couple of weeks through live storytelling events and shared podcast listening sessions with headphones and splitters from the NHS Health Board.

The project has a remit to support people’s cognitive function, cultural background, bilingualism and to support isolated people with dementia and their carers across the islands.

The team will continue to explore creative ways to reach and support people with dementia and those in their circle of care, under the principles of Life Changes Trust outcomes, putting people living with dementia at the heart of the work.

Pictured are Maggie Smith (Gaelic Co-Ordinator) and Donald Saunders (freelance broadcasting artist) at Wee Studio creating the Gaelic Culture podcasts.