The Dementia Detective
Developed for Gentofte Municipality
The challenge
Early diagnosis can be crucial for people with dementia. Because not only can an early diagnosis lead to a better course of treatment. It also means that the person with dementia has the opportunity to be consulted while they are still able to act.
As part of their efforts to become a dementia-friendly municipality, Gentofte Municipality wanted to train their frontline staff in spotting the signs of dementia and how to react in the situation.
Solution
The solution was Dementia Detective. A board game where players meet different citizens in their homes, all with deviant behavior that could be a sign of dementia.
During the home visit, players choose whether they want to take a closer look at the resident’s living room, kitchen or bathroom. However, they can only take a closer look at two of the rooms as time is limited. Just like there would be in real life.
Between each round, there are reflection exercises where players discuss the situations and dilemmas they have encountered in the game and put it into perspective for their everyday life.
Results
Gentofte Municipality has rolled out the game to all frontline employees in Health and Care. At one of the first workshops at the beginning of the rollout, a manager said the following, among other things:
“Regarding the new dementia game, my first thoughts were not that great, sorry. Now we’ve started playing it in company groups and people absolutely love it. They laugh and come up with professional solutions. It’s also great for our work environment because it’s a fun way to kick-start development.”
