Empowered Conversations

23/10/2026

FROM INCAPABLE to APPRECIATED, USEFUL and WORTHY!

The Empowered Conversations is a 6-week exploring how impacts and encouraging participants to get curious and try out different ways to improve connections. The move towards curiosity, or a mentalized state, is the golden thread underpinning every session.

In week 1, we ask participants to get curious about how family members living with dementia might feel when they are having a chat with them. It generates a lot of words, some negative, some positive. We repeat this question at the end of the course.
In week 5, we spend time thinking about control, for the carer and for the person with dementia. For a load of different reasons, control is often taken away from a person with dementia;

‘It’s quicker if I do it’,

‘They can’t cook anymore’,

‘It’ll make more of a mess if they do it’.

We encourage participants to consider what somebody can do and give control back!

‘It’s quicker if I do it’ becomes ‘does it matter if it takes a bit longer?’

‘They can’t cook anymore’, becomes ‘mum peeled the carrots with me in the kitchen!’

‘It’ll make more of a mess if they do it’ becomes ‘I’ll just sweep up later!’

Having the space to be curious about how somebody feels, to consider what’s important for that person and how it feels when we ‘do for’ rather than ‘do with’ is an essential ingredient of the course.

On week 6 we ask participants to repeat the feelings exercise; “how might family members living with dementia feel when they are having a conversation with them?”.

Our recent course generated the following words.
Week 1 Incapable
Week 6 Appreciated, Useful and Worthy

‘Mum used to fidget with her hands when I was doing jobs for her. Now we’re working together, she’s peeling the carrots, or folding the clean washing. She’s not fidgeting with her hands, she’s smiling.’ Family Caregiver, NE London.

Empowered Conversations is part of a national multi centred project being delivered in , and . The course is available to family/friends supporting a person with dementia living at home.
For more information -

23/10/2026

FROM INCAPABLE to APPRECIATED, USEFUL and WORTHY!

The Empowered Conversations is a 6-week exploring how impacts and encouraging participants to get curious and try out different ways to improve connections. The move towards curiosity, or a mentalized state, is the golden thread underpinning every session.

In week 1, we ask participants to get curious about how family members living with dementia might feel when they are having a chat with them. It generates a lot of words, some negative, some positive. We repeat this question at the end of the course.

In week 5, we spend time thinking about control, for the carer and for the person with dementia. For a load of different reasons, control is often taken away from a person with dementia;

‘It’s quicker if I do it’,
‘They can’t cook anymore’,
‘It’ll make more of a mess if they do it’.

We encourage participants to consider what somebody can do and give control back!

‘It’s quicker if I do it’ becomes ‘does it matter if it takes a bit longer?’

‘They can’t cook anymore’, becomes ‘mum peeled the carrots with me in the kitchen!’

‘It’ll make more of a mess if they do it’ becomes ‘I’ll just sweep up later!’

Having the space to be curious about how somebody feels, to consider what’s important for that person and how it feels when we ‘do for’ rather than ‘do with’ is an essential ingredient of the course.

On week 6 we ask participants to repeat the feelings exercise; “how might family members living with dementia feel when they are having a conversation with them?”. Our recent course generated the following words.

Week 1 Incapable
Week 6 Appreciated, Useful and Worthy

‘Mum used to fidget with her hands when I was doing jobs for her. Now we’re working together, she’s peeling the carrots, or folding the clean washing. She’s not fidgeting with her hands, she’s smiling.’ Family Caregiver, NE London.

Empowered Conversations is part of a national multi centred project being delivered in , and . The course is available to family/friends supporting a person with dementia living at home.

For more information - www.empowered-conversations.co.uk or watch this little film.

Springboard Oldham Dementia Carers Support Age UK Manchester Age UK Bury - The Jubilee Centre Age UK Oldham Age UK Blackburn With Darwen Age UK Wigan Borough Age UK Salford and Trafford Wigan and Leigh Carers Centre Bolton Dementia Support Healthwatch Salford Trafford Carers Centre Together Dementia Support Salford Loaves and Fishes Salford Media BBC Lancashire NELFT Beacon Dementia and Wellbeing

20/10/2026

Evening shoppers...for you lovely online shoppers, is there any chance you could pop this app on your phones? It gives you a little prompt when you go on certain websites, the company then makes a donation to the Empowered Conversations work. It doesn't't cost you a penny.

Help us when you shop with 7,000+ brands. Join now.

20/10/2026

If you love a dance, you will love a Dementia Disco!

The next disco is on the 30th October.

Details below, get your dancing shoes on and let us know how you get on!! A 5 - 7pm disco might even mean you can grab a chippy tea on the way home.

Trafford Carers Centre Trafford Libraries Trafford Community News Age UK Salford and Trafford

19/10/2026

This looks brilliant

We want to promote what looks like a fascinating and informative event arranged by Age UK Bolton and hosted at the Central library. Take a look and book a place!

17/10/2026

27,000 people have signed this petition to demand a change in Continued HealthCare. Still time to add your name

On Tuesday, Rachel Thompson, the Lewy Body Society-funded Consultant Specialist Admiral Nurse for Lewy body dementia, will represent us at the Department of Health and Social Care as a petition calling for NHS continuing healthcare (CHC) funding to be reviewed and fixed is handed in.

Almost than 27,000 people have signed the petition, organised by Dementia UK with support from 13 charities, including the Lewy Body Society.

CHC can fund a complete package of care for people with significant, ongoing health needs. We are calling for a fairer, more consistent process that recognises complex needs, includes condition-specific expertise and gives families support as they navigate assessments.

There is still time to add your name to the petition: https://action.dementiauk.org/fix-nhs-continuing-healthcare

16/10/2026

Been in Salford Royal this year as an inpatient? Share your feedback by scanning the QR below.

16/10/2026

Welcome to Our New Chapter! 🙌
​For a decade, Empowered Conversations has been helping families affected by dementia stay well stay connected and stay together for longer with our communication courses. For seven years, we’ve delivered dedicated, dementia-focused therapeutic counselling across the third sector.
​In July, we took a bold and exciting leap to officially launch as an independent Community Interest Company ,EmpoweredconversationsCIC!
To mark this milestone, we are thrilled to announce that our brand-new website is officially live! 🎉
​ We are also currently recruiting for a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) for our flagship Empowered Conversations course. This is a fantastic opportunity to take part in evidence-based support designed to transform communication and relationships.
​Explore our new online home, learn more about our services, or find out how to get involved with the trial here:
https://empowered-conversations.co.uk/

​Thank you to everyone who has supported us on this journey so far — please feel free to share this post with anyone who might benefit from our services.

Empowered Conversations reduces loneliness through meaningful connections, companionship and wellbeing support.

14/10/2026

Great to be out in Trafford today at the Live Well with Limelight event.

Thank you Home Instead Stockport - Home Care & Live-in Care Trafford Carers Centre, Age UK Salford and Trafford and others for organising.

Great connections made. Hope everyone has come down from the constant supply of cakes!!

13/10/2026

Thank you for inviting us to share our work at your first health and wellbeing event .

Great opportunity to share our support available for families affected by dementia and connect with so many other services.