Remember: Visualising the Stigmatising Dementia Language within our communities.
"It's only downhill from here. It's her dementia."
Everyday conversation surrounding dementia can be inaccurate and end up stigmatising New Zealanders experiencing dementia. Spreading misinformation makes it harder for those affected to access support, and harder for our communities to provide it.
‘Remember’ materialises language that cannot usually be seen or easily reflected on. It uses interactive paper folds to encourage the reader to look beneath stigmatising labels. Negative space is used to create a heaviness that underscores the significance of the stigmatising language quoted.
It includes three distinct voices, contrasting stigma with personal and educational perspectives. These centre the harmful words themselves rather than assigning blame to readers, prompting self-reflection. The webpage uses single-page screens that control the pace for the reader, digitising the message without compromising the thoughtful nature.
When a dementia diagnosis within our family showed us the harm our words can have, I understood the need for our communities to be supported to speak with care.
Remember that those experiencing dementia remain members of our communities.
