Pioneering a unique dementia care model in North America
SPECAL® (pronounced “speckle”) is a unique, evidence-based, simple, counter-intuitive dementia management method that can be learned and used by anyone involved in the care of a person with dementia. SPECAL® was developed in the UK by the Contented Dementia Trust over the past 30+ years ago, and was introduced at Dementia Together by the first SPECAL Practitioner in North America. SPECAL® is highly practical and effective. It gives those in caregiving roles, the why, what, and how to promote lifelong well-being for the person living with dementia. SPECAL® is a family-led model which has demonstrated improved empathy, harmony, and resilience for care partners. SPECAL® is tailor-made for the condition of dementia, whatever the cause.
Like other approaches rooted in person-directed or relationship-based care models, SPECAL® places the well-being of the person with dementia at the center of care.
Unlike other approaches, an understanding of medical terminology, knowledge of specific dementia diagnosis, and a grasp on brain pathophysiology are not required in order to apply the practical strategies SPECAL® teaches.
Use of the SPECAL® method can bring about immediate and sustainable improvements in the quality of life of the person with dementia and everyone involved in care. For the purposes of managing the condition, SPECAL® treats dementia as a simple disability and works positively with it, rather than trying to ignore or defeat it.
The Dementia Together approach
At Dementia Together, we operate and thrive under our three pillars: Education, Enrichment, and Hope.
Our education is taught by licensed SPECAL® coaches and practitioners who are credentialed by the Contented Dementia Trust.
Our life enrichment opportunities are facilitated by compassionate skilled staff and volunteers.
We share practical hope with our participants through our resources, research, and community engagement.
Local research
Since 2020, Researchers from Colorado State University (CSU) and Dementia Together (DT) have partnered to evaluate how Dementia Together programming promotes positive outcomes for adults with dementia and their care partners. Data from over 100 care partners show several positive impacts for workshop participants and their loved ones: care partners report increased efficacy in caregiving and decreased stress for themselves and report less anxiety for loved ones in their care.
By listening to the expert and understanding what the disability of no longer storing recent facts efficiently actually feels like, we can stop using condescending, patronizing verbiage such as “white lies, therapeutic fibbing, or creative deception” that are all too common in dementia care. At Dementia Together, we have coined the terms humble deferral™ and compassionate deferral™ to replace the unnecessarily negative terms often used in dementia care when Dementia Together principles are not understood.
The 3 Golden Rules of SPECAL®
Don't Ask Direct Questions
The recent facts may not have been stored.
Listen to the Expert
The person living with dementia is the expert. Their questions and phrases are highly significant.
Don't Contradict
Do not argue with the facts they use to make sense of what is happening.
The SPECAL® Method has been shown to*:
- increase the person’s confidence and thereby seemingly slowing the rate of decline, producing a “plateau effect” in observed symptoms
- reduce the need for medication
- enable the person to remain in their own home for significantly longer
- minimize the distress all too often seen during and after a transition into a different care setting
- decrease the care partner guilt
*Royal College of Nursing, England
Protecting Our Purpose:
To preserve the integrity of our mission and the SPECAL Method, Dementia Together resources, SPECAL materials, and enrichment programs may not be duplicated, distributed, or replicated without written permission.
To preserve the integrity of our mission and the SPECAL Method, Dementia Together resources, SPECAL materials, and enrichment programs may not be duplicated, distributed, or replicated without written permission.