Glossary

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Alzheimer's Disease(also: Alzheimer's, AD)

A progressive neurodegenerative disease and the most common cause of dementia, accounting for 60-80% of cases. Alzheimer's disease causes gradual decline in memory, thinking, and reasoning skills, eventually affecting the ability to perform everyday activities. The condition…

Art Therapy(also: Creative Arts Therapy, Arts Therapy)

A form of psychotherapy that uses creative art-making as the primary mode of expression and communication. Art therapy is facilitated by trained therapists and can involve painting, drawing, collage, sculpture, and other visual arts activities. For older adults with dementia and…

Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia(also: BPSD, Behavioural Disturbance, Neuropsychiatric Symptoms)

A range of non-cognitive symptoms and behaviours associated with dementia, including agitation, aggression, wandering, repetitive behaviours, sleep disturbances, anxiety, depression, delusions, and hallucinations. BPSD affects up to 90% of people with dementia at some point…

Care Staff(also: Care Worker, Direct Care Worker, Personal Care Aide)

Individuals who provide day-to-day personal care and support to residents in care facilities, including assistance with eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, and mobility. Care staff are distinct from medical professionals such as nurses and doctors; they typically receive basic…

Clinical Dementia Rating(also: CDR, CDR Scale)

The Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) is a five-point staging scale used to characterise the severity of dementia, originally developed by Hughes and colleagues at Washington University in 1982. A clinician rates the person across six domains — memory, orientation, judgement and…

Clock Drawing Test(also: CDT)

The Clock Drawing Test (CDT) is a brief cognitive screening task in which a person is asked to draw a clock face, place the numbers, and set the hands to a specified time (commonly "ten past eleven"). Performance is scored on dimensions such as contour, number placement, and…

Cognitive Stimulation(also: Cognitive Stimulation Therapy, CST)

A structured programme of activities and discussions designed to engage and stimulate cognitive abilities — including memory, attention, language, and problem-solving — in people with mild to moderate dementia. Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) is one of the few…

Confabulation (Clinical)(also: Clinical Confabulation)

Confabulation in a clinical sense is the unconscious production of fabricated, distorted, or misinterpreted memories without the intent to deceive - the person genuinely believes what they are recounting. It is associated with dementia (particularly Alzheimer's and Korsakoff's…

Dementia Advocacy(also: Dementia self-advocacy)

Dementia advocacy encompasses efforts by people living with dementia, caregivers, and allies to promote more inclusive, dignified, and rights-based understandings of dementia in public discourse, policy, and service design. Self-advocacy—where individuals with dementia share…

Dementia-Friendly(also: Dementia Friendly Community, Dementia Inclusive)

An approach to designing environments, services, programs, and communities that are accessible, supportive, and inclusive of people living with dementia. A dementia-friendly community enables people with dementia to participate in social life, access services, and maintain…

Dementia-Friendly Community(also: Dementia Friendly Community)

An approach to inclusion in which public spaces, services, programs, and technologies are designed so that people living with dementia can continue to participate as active community members - shopping, using transport, attending cultural venues, socialising - alongside their…

DementiaBank

A shared database of multimedia interactions for the study of communication in dementia, maintained as part of the TalkBank system. DementiaBank contains longitudinal recordings of people with Alzheimer's disease and matched controls performing tasks like the "cookie theft"…

Doll Therapy

A nonpharmacological intervention used in dementia care in which a person is given a lifelike doll to hold, dress, and care for. For some people with advanced dementia, engaging with the doll can reduce agitation and distress, promote calm, and provide a sense of purpose and…

Early-Onset Dementia(also: Young-Onset Dementia, Working-Age Dementia)

Dementia diagnosed before the age of 65, affecting individuals who are often still in the workforce and digitally active. Early-onset dementia presents unique accessibility challenges because affected individuals typically have established digital literacy and strong…

Episodic Memory(also: Autobiographical Memory, Personal Experience Memory)

The memory of specific personal experiences and events, including details about what happened, where and when it occurred, and the emotions associated with it. Episodic memory allows people to mentally "travel back in time" to re-experience past events from a first-person…

Frontotemporal Dementia(also: FTD, Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration, Pick's Disease)

A group of disorders caused by progressive degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, primarily affecting personality, behavior, and language. Unlike Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia often begins before age 60 and initially impacts executive…

Illness Narrative(also: Disease Narrative)

An illness narrative is the story a person and their significant others construct to give coherence to the disruptive experience of illness or diagnosis and its effects on the family system. In the context of cognitive impairment and dementia, the illness narrative typically…

Informal Carer(also: Informal Caregiver, Family Carer, Unpaid Carer)

A person who provides regular care and support to a family member, friend, or neighbour who has a disability, chronic illness, mental health condition, or age-related needs, without being paid as a professional caregiver. Informal carers — most commonly spouses, adult children,…

Intentional Sensory Stimulation

A design approach for technology that deliberately leverages optimal sensory modes — visual, auditory, haptic, or multimodal — to facilitate comprehension and engagement, rather than simply reducing interface complexity. Introduced in the context of dementia accessibility…

Lewy Body Dementia(also: LBD, Dementia with Lewy Bodies, DLB)

A type of progressive dementia caused by abnormal protein deposits called Lewy bodies in the brain. Lewy body dementia affects thinking, movement, behavior, and mood, and is the third most common cause of dementia after Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Symptoms include…

Life Story Work(also: Life Story, Biography Work, Digital Biography)

A person-centered approach to care that involves gathering and sharing information about an individual's life history, preferences, relationships, and experiences. In dementia care, life story work helps caregivers see the person behind the condition and supports meaningful…

Memory Aid(also: Memory Wallet, Memory Book, External Memory Aid)

A tool or device that supports memory function by providing external cues, reminders, or stored information that a person can reference. For people with dementia or other cognitive impairments, memory aids may include wallets with photos and captions, communication boards,…

Memory Cue(also: Memory Prompt, Recall Cue, Retrieval Cue)

Any stimulus — such as a photograph, sound, object, location, or verbal prompt — that triggers the recollection of a past experience or piece of information. In assistive technology for people with episodic memory impairment, memory cues are used to help individuals recall…

Non-Pharmacological Intervention(also: NPI, Non-Drug Intervention)

A non-pharmacological intervention (NPI) is any therapeutic approach delivered without medication, including art and music therapy, reminiscence work, cognitive stimulation, exercise programmes, animal-assisted therapy, environmental modifications, structured social activity,…

People with Dementia(also: PwD)

A person-first term used in accessibility and dementia research to refer to individuals living with dementia — an umbrella term covering progressive neurological conditions (such as Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia) that…

Perseveration(also: Perseverative Behavior)

The uncontrolled repetition of a response, word, phrase, or action that persists beyond the appropriate context. In people with cognitive impairments such as dementia, brain injury, or certain developmental disabilities, perseveration can manifest as repeatedly pressing the same…

Person-Centred Care(also: Person-Centered Care, Person-Centred Approach)

An approach to care and support that places the individual — their preferences, needs, values, history, and identity — at the centre of all decisions and interactions, rather than focusing primarily on their diagnosis or deficits. Originated in dementia care through the work of…

Reminiscence(also: Reminiscing, Life Review)

The process of recalling and sharing past experiences, often prompted by sensory cues like photographs, music, or familiar objects. For people with dementia, reminiscence can be more accessible than discussing current events because long-term memories are often better preserved…

Repetitive Questioning(also: Perseverative Questioning)

A behavioural symptom of dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease, in which a person repeatedly asks the same question over and over, often within short time intervals. Repetitive questioning can stem from short-term memory loss (not remembering the answer or having asked),…

Residential Care(also: Care Home, Nursing Home, Long-Term Care Facility)

A facility that provides housing, personal care, and support services for individuals who cannot live independently due to age, disability, or health conditions. Residential care settings range from assisted living facilities offering minimal support to skilled nursing…

Resilience(also: Psychological resilience, Dementia resilience)

Resilience refers to the dynamic capacity of an individual to adapt positively in the face of adversity and to maintain or recover a satisfactory level of psychological and functional well-being. In the context of dementia, resilience challenges deficit-based models that frame…

Respite Care(also: Respite, Carer Relief)

Temporary care provided to a person with a disability or chronic condition to give their primary caregiver a break from their caregiving responsibilities. Respite care can take many forms, including in-home care, day programs, overnight stays in care facilities, or social…

SenseCam(also: Microsoft SenseCam, Vicon Revue)

A wearable digital camera originally developed by Microsoft Research that automatically captures photos throughout the day without requiring the wearer to actively take pictures. SenseCam is worn around the neck and uses sensors (light level, temperature, passive infrared for…

Shared Reality(also: Shared Realities)

Shared reality is the experience of a common inner state - thoughts, feelings, or perceptions about an object or situation - between two or more people, established through communication and mutual acknowledgement. In dementia care and accessibility research, sustaining shared…

Vascular Dementia(also: Multi-Infarct Dementia, Post-Stroke Dementia)

A type of dementia caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, often resulting from stroke or small vessel disease. Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia and typically affects processing speed, attention, and executive function rather than memory in its…

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