More Than a Medical Review: Power of Communication and Connection for Isolated PLWD and Their Family Carers at Home
Parallel 1
17 November, 2026 12:00 – 1:10 pmCommunication and Connection
Farah Hariss
Dementia Clinical Nurse Specialist
Imperial College Healthcare Trust
Summary
Background: Social isolation and loneliness are critical, unmet needs for People Living with Dementia (PLWD) who receive care at home. PLWD remaining at home frequently experience significant social isolation, especially those living alone or spending extended periods without meaningful social
contact. In the MinderCare research project, approximately 45% of participants live alone. Even among those residing with family, many encounter prolonged isolation due to relatives’ work obligations and other responsibilities. MinderCare also identified a parallel unmet need: spouses serving as primary carers often experience profound loneliness and social isolation. Due to the demands of caregiving, these individuals are equally susceptible to chronic isolation. Telephone-based clinical contact typically centres on assessments, symptom management, and care planning. However, repeated interactions have revealed an unmet psychosocial need, including loneliness, boredom, reduced stimulation, and a lack of regular human connection. Participants often report extended periods without conversation or purposeful engagement, while family members express concerns regarding emotional well-being. Although clinical check-ins are essential, maintaining regular social integration for both PLWD and their partners is crucial for ensuring a high quality of life and preserving family dignity.
Project Overview: In response, MinderCare and the Imperial Healthcare Trust (ICHT) charity collaborated to develop a structured volunteer telephone befriending initiative. Dementia Clinical Specialist Nurses provided dementia-specific training to charity volunteers, equipping them with relevant knowledge, empathy, cognitive understanding, and practical communication strategies to support PLWD effectively and confidently. Recognising the gap in carer support, the initiative expanded enrolment to include isolated spouses serving as primary carers. Volunteers were also matched with PLWD who possess the capacity for conversation and have provided informed consent, either personally or through their Next of Kin. Since its launch in November 2025, the service has operated with four dedicated volunteers providing consistent coverage from Monday to Thursday. During the initial seven months, the project achieved a 100% volunteer retention rate. Temporary weekly absences were addressed through a cross-coverage peer system, allowing remaining volunteers to cover missed calls. This approach ensured a 100% service continuity rate, with no participant missing their scheduled weekly connection. Collectively, volunteers have delivered over 50 hours (40.44 documented) of targeted telephone support across 190 documented completed calls.
Evidence-Based Approach: The framework is grounded in relational psychology and social integration theories, recognising that consistent, non-pharmacological social engagement can slow cognitive decline. The global clinical relevance of this approach is well documented; for example, during Canada’s 2026 Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, leading geriatric and community care specialists, including clinical faculty from the University of Alberta, publicly emphasised that meaningful social connection is a key determinant of well-being, providing essential routine and safety in dementia care settings. Early qualitative feedback indicated an overwhelmingly positive impact. Participants highlighted the emotional support provided by casual conversations, which proactively address loneliness, boredom, and lack of purposeful engagement. Similarly, enrolled spouses and family members reported a significant reduction in their own isolation and anxiety, expressing comfort that their household receives support through human connection between clinical contacts. Although volunteer dropout due to changing work and study commitments may present a future operational limitation, the current model serves as a valuable case study for building organisational resilience.
Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that a structured, low-overhead telephone befriending model is an effective means of achieving multi-layered social integration. This approach provides a scalable blueprint for reducing loneliness, bridging gaps between clinical reviews, and supporting the rights of PLWD and their primary care partners to remain active, visible members of the community. Additionally, it reduces the workload on the clinical team, who previously contacted PLWD for social engagement.