TikTok Tips for Dementia Care

By Sarah Anderson

Sarah Anderson is a health, environment, and science reporter at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and a Ph.D. chemist.

Teepa Snow thought TikTok was just for singing, dancing, and funny videos.

At her team’s urging, Snow, founder of the dementia education company Positive Approach to Care, gave #caregivertiktok a try. Her videos offer dementia care tips in an engaging and digestible format. In total, they’ve racked up more than 25 million views since she launched the account in September 2021. 

Many of Snow’s videos model a common “option 1” and a more effective “option 2” response to a situation. For example, if a person with dementia says they want to go home when they already are home, the care partner can validate their feelings and offer comfort, instead of arguing.

Some videos share best practices for waking, washing, and dressing someone, while others address questions from care partners seeking support. 

For Snow, the popularity of the videos reveals an unmet need for dementia care education and resources. “I’m glad we’re helping,” she says, “but it speaks to a bigger issue, which is way too little preparation for what we’re asking people to do.”

Find Snow and her dementia care tips at @teepasnow on TikTok or on teepasnow.com.