Tongue Twisters: using the creative possibilities of nonsense language to improve care for people with dementia

About the Project

The importance of music, creativity, opportunities for meaningful engagement and the use of these to enhance communication within care homes for people with dementia is well documented. This collaborative research project between the School of Health and Leeds School of Arts builds on the work of Dr Alan Dunn (Reader in Art & Design) and the dementia care and research methods expertise of Professor Claire Surr (Director of the Centre for Dementia Research) at Leeds Beckett University.

Dr Alan Dunn has been researching the creative and experimental use of sound within dementia care homes. Based around the humble Tongue Twister, Dunn’s research examines the breaking down of words, the role of shared laughter and the creative possibilities of nonsense language in work with people with dementia.

Begun in early 2019, the research intensified during Covid when our communication became fragmented through video calls and this phase was documented in a publication entitled The Jingle Book, named after a Victorian pronunciation-guide.

The Jingle Book is designed as a toolkit with ideas for engagement using Tongue Twisters including inter-generational, non-verbal, multilingual (e.g. Braille and British Sign Language), tactile, edible and environmental iterations. He has been working with a number of care homes to implement The Jingle Book.

This PhD offers the opportunity to extend the existing Jingle book work in combination with evaluative research

Significance and purpose of this research

This PhD offers the opportunity to further develop, implement and evaluate the impact of creative applications of and approaches to use of Tongue Twisters with people with dementia using The Jingle Book as a starting point. There will be opportunity for the student to determine the focus and methods of the study based on their own background and interests, but the proposed project must align with one of the following research areas:

• Implementing The Jingle Book in care home settings and evaluating the process of implementation and the impact of taking part in Tongue Twister based activities on residents and staff e.g. through qualitative methods
• Co-developing and evaluating new/additional tongue twisters for different audiences/contexts for example by working with people with dementia from different cultural backgrounds
• Focussed evaluation of tongue twister group participation on specific, measurable outcomes for people living with dementia e.g. verbal fluency, well-being, social engagement
• Application and implementation of the Jingle Book in non-care home settings for example community-based settings (e.g. day centres, community groups) or mental health inpatient settings for older adults

Within the project the student will be expected to address the following objectives

1. Conduct public involvement work to advise on or co-develop the research plan with the target community.
2. Use appropriate inclusive methodologies to evaluate the Tongue Twister creative work.
3. Create and implement a dissemination plan to share the output to wider policy, practice and research stakeholders.

Expected outcomes/impact

In addition to the student’s doctoral thesis, it is hoped that the research will result in a range of academic and creative outputs suitable for a range of audiences, including practical outputs to support dissemination of findings and implementation of the work in the chosen area of dementia care practice.

Location

The student will be supervised by Professor Claire Surr (Director of Studies) and Dr Alan Dunn (supervisor) and will be registered with the Centre for Dementia Research (School of Health).

The Centre conducts applied dementia research that seeks to improve the lives of people living with dementia, and those providing care and support to them. It has a vibrant community of PhD students studying dementia related topics including students who are part of the Alzheimer’s Society Doctoral Training on Integrated Care.

Additional information

Mode of study: Full-time

Start date: 01 February 2027

Shortlisting date: tbc (September 2026)

Interview date: tbc (October 2026)