New guides to help people with dementia and learning disabilities speak up about what matters to them

We’ve developed two new guides to support people who work with or care for individuals with dementia and learning disabilities, helping them have meaningful conversations about what matters most.

The ‘What matters’ guides, which are part of a wider group of resources, are available on our website. They’re for anyone who supports people with social care needs – like family members, carers, and professionals.

They offer simple steps to help people say what they want, need, and enjoy in life – including risks or what they worry about.

These guides will help people feel heard and understood. They will also help practitioners and carers give better support that fits each person’s life, wishes, and concerns.

We worked with people who have lived experience to shape the guides, to make sure they're as relevant and useful as possible.

Our Chief Executive Sarah McCarty said: “The ‘What matters’ guides are fantastic resources to help people provide effective care in a way that’s tailored to the person they support.

“‘What matters’ conversations help individuals to be heard, respected, and empowered to live the life that matters to them. “We’re grateful to the stakeholder group, and Here2There and Practice Solutions who contributed to creating the guides.

“We’d especially like to thank those with lived experience, whose voices helped shape the guides in meaningful and authentic ways. They brought deep understanding and creativity to the work, and it was a pleasure to collaborate with them.”

Donna Thomas of Here2There said: “There’s nothing more powerful than hearing from people who live and breathe this every day. They love the fact that the guides are very simple and easy to understand.”