Led by occupational therapist Dr Suzanne Dawson at Flinders University and Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, researchers evaluated a language-based intervention known as ‘flipping language’, testing it in a specialised behavioural unit designed to care for people with extreme behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia.
In the intervention, staff and families are encouraged to identify words that ’don’t land well for them’, playfully explore the words and replace commonly used clinical terms.
This included replacing “aggressive” or “wandering” with more descriptive, person-centred language that acknowledges the individual’s intent and history.