Dementia in the Media

Please see below for The Alzheimer Society of Ireland’s appearances in the Media, press releases, facts and figures about Dementia and Media Guidelines. It also features information about our Communications Department.

Communications Contacts

Communications Manager
Hugh O’Donoghue
[email protected]
(085) 856 71 43

Communications Officer
Niamh Burke
[email protected]
(086) 029 5634

Social Media Officer
Sradha Sudarsanan
[email protected] 
(086) 144 9738

Recent National Media Coverage

Press Releases

Facts & Figures

The ASI on Twitter

Media Guidelines – Language

Tips for Interviewing/Meeting People with Dementia

People with Alzheimer’s disease/dementia and their families are now starting to open their homes to the media to share their personal experiences of living with a condition that can make everyday activities a challenge and simple conversations difficult.

People with dementia and their families are often motivated to tell their stories because they might be able to help others who find themselves in a similar situation. Talking in a safe and affable environment to people prepared to listen and understand can give families a sense of release and freedom. But only if they are treated with dignity and understanding.

When interviewing a person with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia, one should keep the following advice in mind:

  • Remember the individual behind the condition. Report them as a person first and someone who has dementia second. Listen to their story and avoid correcting, interrupting or speaking on behalf of the person.
  • Where possible, consent to participate in the interview should be sought from the person with dementia and their family carer.
  • Treat the person with dementia like any other interviewee. Act naturally, greet them with a handshake, and avoid patronising or over-praising.
  • Interviewing a person with dementia may require patience. If necessary, allow more time for answers and repeat questions if needed.
  • Be clear and precise when seeking information on the person’s experiences, and ask only one concisely phrased question at a time.
  • Dementia affects the person’s memory, so be aware that it may be difficult to answer questions requiring them to draw on their memory.
  • Often the person with dementia will reply to questions with short, concise answers rather than longer, comprehensive ones, so be prepared to move on to the next point or topic.
  • If you do not understand the answer you receive, ask for clarification, or repeat what you have understood for confirmation.
  • Speaking clearly may help when interviewing someone with dementia but remember it is not necessary to raise your voice when speaking.

Infographics

Social Media Community Guidelines

The ASI uses social media to inform our people about our work.

We want to ensure that our community remains a safe, constructive, and informative place for engagement.

The ASI does not agree with or endorse every comment made on our page.

The ASI understands that sharing content can sometimes spark lively debate and discussion, which we encourage on our platforms.

And while The ASI is, of course, open to feedback and criticism, there are a few guidelines that we would like our online users to follow, so the debate remains respectful and constructive.

When you are commenting or posting on our social media channels, The ASI asks that you refrain from doing the following:

  • Hate speech
  • Profanity, obscenity, or vulgarity,
  • Defamation of a person, persons, or organisations,
  • Personal attacks or name-calling,
  • Shouting (everything written in CAPS.),
  • False, statements that are misleading or deceptive,
  • Content that is completely irrelevant or repetitive,
  • Personal blogs or websites that are unrelated,
  • Content whose primary goal is to sell a product,
  • Spam material, such as the same commenter commenting or asking questions on a profile multiple times.

At our discretion, we may revise and update these guidelines.

Commenters who engage in the behaviours above may be muted or even blocked from our channels.

Links to our social media platforms are below.

We hope you enjoy the content we post there and interact with us.

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