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Family caregivers of people with dementia can find the impairments in their relative's ability to communicate an enormous challenge. Peer facilitated educational interventions are a potentially efficient and effective way to address these complex communication issues. This paper examines the processes required to support the development of peer educators and the impact this has had on facilitators and course attendees. Semi-structured interviews with six participants who facilitated Empowered Conversations (EC) a communication skills educational program for caregivers of people with dementia and 28 participants who attended the program. A qualitative thematic analysis approach identified emergent themes within the data. Three broad findings are reported: first the support that is needed for peer facilitators; second, the impact of the course reported by facilitators and course attendees; and third, suggestions for improvements. The content of the EC program is strong and the reflective cycle encouraged via support mechanisms prior to, during and following the delivery of sessions is effective for supporting facilitators. When upscaling the program it was important to enhance the support structures for new peer facilitators. Introducing a support session focusing on examples of logistical issues experienced and how these could be addressed would be a useful addition to the support mechanisms already devised. Attendees reported positively on participation in the course, particularly valuing the input from facilitators with experience of caregiving. Suggested improvements related to better information about the course and a settling in period, with some specific individual suggestions for content relating to their personal experiences.

Objectives: Our aims were to examine whether an experiential course for care partners of people living with dementia, Empowered Conversations (EC), was acceptable to participants and to explore participants' perceptions of the impact of the course upon their communicative interactions. EC is based on an integrative model derived from psychological and linguistic theory and empirical evidence. EC is based on mentalisation theory, perceptual control theory and linguistic theory (The Communicative Impact Model). Methods: Qualitative data were collected via 28 semistructured interviews. Framework analysis was used to analyse data. Results: Three superordinate themes, 'improved communication', 'improved well-being' and 'support through others' were identified. Twenty-seven out of the 28 participants described feeling that they were able to better connect with the person living with dementia that they were supporting through attending EC. Conclusions: The findings indicated that EC was acceptable and beneficial to care partners. Care partners developed a range of strategies and understandings that enabled them to communicate better with the person they were supporting, enhanced well- being and relationships, as well as developing social networks. This is the first qualitative study to examine a psychosocial intervention for care partners of people living with dementia using a non- CBT framework and indicates that perceived control could influence how care partners respond to stress and difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last three census data highlighted that UK Bangladeshi communities have the worst health outcomes. This includes a higher risk of type two diabetes and heart diseases; both are risk factors for developing vascular dementia. However, little is known about Bangladeshi community members' understandings of dementia, including cultural myths. This paper focuses on the cultural myths, superstitions, and stigma surrounding dementia in an English Bangladeshi community from the direct experiences of people living with dementia, their caregivers, and the views of dementia service providers/stakeholders. This qualitative research was undertaken with three distinct participant groups using semistructured interviews (n = 25), who were recruited from community settings. The first and second participant groups explored the experiences of people with dementia (n = 10) and their family caregivers (n = 10). The third group examined stakeholders'/service providers' views (n = 5). Interviews were recorded digitally and transcribed verbatim. Findings were reached using an interpretive approach, emphasising the sense people make in their own lives and experiences and how they frame and understand dementia. The study revealed that participants with dementia and their caregivers have "alternative" knowledge about dementia and do not necessarily understand dementia in a Westernised scientific/biomedical context. Misconceptions about dementia and belief in various myths and superstitions can lead people to go to spiritual healers or practice traditional remedies rather than to their GPs, delaying their dementia diagnosis. This paper concludes that there is a lack of awareness among the Bangladeshi participants and a need for targeted awareness about dementia to help dispel cultural myths and combat the stigma surrounding dementia within the Bangladeshi community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This rapid review aims to identify the types of technologies used by people with dementia and their supporters during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the issues which influenced technology adoption within their usual care routines. PubMed, PsychInfo, Scopus, and Cochrane COVID reviews were searched to identify peer-review studies published since 2020. A total of 18 studies were included and synthesised thematically. Of these, most were conducted in the community (n = 15) with people with dementia only (n = 11) and involved qualitative methods (n = 11). The majority (n = 12) focused on digital off-the-shelf and low-cost solutions, such as free video conferencing platforms, to access care, socialise or take part in interventions. Whilst often well-accepted and associated with positive outcomes (such as improved social connectedness), lack of digital literacy or support to use technologies, limited access to appropriate technology, individuals' physical, cognitive, or sensory difficulties, were highlighted and likely to threaten the adoption of these solutions. The quality of the evidence was mixed, neither very robust nor easily generalisable which may be attributed to the challenges of conducting research during the pandemic or the need to rapidly adapt to a new reality. While COVID-19 has fast-tracked the adoption of technology, its use is likely to continue beyond the pandemic. We need to ensure this technology can leverage dementia support and care and that people with dementia are enabled and empowered to use it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Despite abundant literature on the diagnosis of dementia, limited research has explored the lived experiences of radiography practitioners when providing care to people living with dementia in the department. Objectives: This qualitative study explored the perceptions and compatibility of current professional guidance by both diagnostic imaging and radiotherapeutic radiography practitioners as well as the key stakeholders involved with developing the Society and College of Radiographers clinical practice guidelines for caring for people with dementia. Methods: This was a two-phase multi-method study. Fifteen diagnostic imaging and two therapeutic radiography practitioners from across the UK participated with online focus group discussions. Four key stakeholders involved with the development of the Society and College of Radiographers guidelines took part with individual semi-structured interviews. Data analysis included narrative and thematic analysis. Results: Participants from both phases identified enablers and barriers to providing person-centred dementia care. Three superordinate themes were identified linked to (1) Working with care partners, (2) Departmental environmental design, and (3) Communication and interprofessional infrastructure. Discussion: Many radiography practitioners still feel unprepared when caring for people living with dementia despite the clinical practice guidelines. Care partners were identified as having the potential to help alleviate some of the challenges radiographers faced. Participants were also aware of the impact of the departmental environment and recognised that poor way finding designs could lead to frustration. Radiography practitioners were not always aware that a patient was living with dementia prior to their attendance in the department making it difficult for practitioners to make appropriate accommodations such as additional time at appointments or the departmental environment. Our findings suggest there is a need for profession specific education and training for radiography practitioners to support the provision of person-centred dementia care. There is also a need to support the design of dementia friendly diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This review aimed to map studies related to healthcare professionals' perceptions and attitudes towards the rehabilitation for persons living with dementia and extract what they perceive are the barriers and solutions. Background: Rehabilitation can improve the quality of life and integration of persons living with dementia into society. However, there are several barriers to accessing rehabilitation services. Healthcare professionals are a source of information to understand the challenges and provide solutions to improve these services. Design: Arksey and O′ Malley (International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8, 2005 and 19) five‐step framework for scoping reviews and the PRISMA‐ScR checklist was used. The PAGER (Patterns, Advances, Gaps, Evidence for practice and Research recommendations) framework was used to identify research and practice recommendations. Method: Seven databases including Medline Complete, Academic Search Ultimate, Ageline, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Pubmed and Google Scholar were searched. The healthcare professionals' perceived challenges and solutions were categorised using Braun & Clarke (Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 2006 and 77) thematic analysis. Results: Fifteen articles were selected for review. The challenges and solutions were organised according to their association with three stakeholders; the persons living with dementia/informal caregivers, healthcare professionals and the organisation providing the service. Nine of the studies focused on persons living with dementia following a fall or a hip fracture. Most of the studies focused on the perceptions of allied healthcare professionals, with nurses working in rehabilitation settings being underrepresented. Conclusion: Healthcare professionals have to consider the complexity of rehabilitating persons living with dementia irrespective of the rehabilitation speciality. Moreover, more studies are needed that focus on the views of rehabilitation nurses. Relevance to Clinical Practice: This review provides further evidence of the healthcare professionals' misconceptions about the rehabilitation potential of persons living with dementia. There is a need to educate healthcare professionals about the societal, attitudinal and environmental barriers faced by persons living with dementia and their caregivers. Patient Contribution No Patient or Public Contribution—scoping review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education is key to addressing the challenges of providing high-quality care to the ever growing number of people with dementia. Although dementia education is required for multiple professions and disciplines working with people with dementia and their families and friends, there is a gap in knowledge of students' views about university-level online dementia education. This article reports on an evaluation, via an online questionnaire, of student views of the delivery modes and learning impact for the first online postgraduate program in Dementia Studies worldwide. The majority of our respondents (65%) reported their participation in the Dementia Studies program as broadening their thinking, with 61% reporting that it broadened their practice. Students also reported on the utility of initial face-to-face teaching and the extent to which they are able to apply their learning to practice. The article concludes by suggesting that a blended learning approach, comprising online and face-to-face teaching with an emphasis on reflexivity has the potential to meet the global demand for skilled dementia care practitioners and to create leaders in the dementia care field. (Contains 4 tables.)

Purpose of the study: To present a critical comparative review of published tools measuring the person-centeredness of care for older people and people with dementia. Design and Methods: Included tools were identified by searches of PubMed, Cinahl, the Bradford Dementia Group database, and authors' files. The terms "Person-centered," "Patient-centered" and "individualized" (US and UK spelling), were paired with "Alzheimer's disease," "older people," and "dementia" in various combinations. The tools were compared in terms of conceptual influences, perspectives studied and intended use, applicability, psychometric properties, and credibility. Results: Twelve tools eligible for review were identified. Eight tools were developed for evaluating long-term aged care, three for hospital-based care, and one for home care. One tool, Dementia Care Mapping, was dementia specific. A common limitation of the tools reviewed is that they are yet to be used and validated beyond the development period; thus, their validity, reliability, and applicability needs further exploration. Also, the perspective of people with dementia remains absent. Implications: The review demonstrates the availability of a multitude of tools for measurement of person-centered care in different settings and from different perspectives, even if further testing of the tools is needed. The conceptual underpinnings of the tools are rarely explicit, which makes it difficult to ascertain the conceptual comparability of the tools.

This paper explores the opportunities and drawbacks of eLearning from the viewpoints of educators and learners. A postgraduate dementia studies programme provides the basis for reflection on the use of a blended learning approach utilising web-based learning. Those who register for the programme are employed in different health and social care settings and have varied roles, but all have a desire to improve their knowledge and skills within a field where continuing professional development is currently limited. The paper outlines the main debates around eLearning and describes the programme itself. It then focuses on three key themes. First the challenges for educators, in terms of cost and quality, in developing and delivering an online curriculum. Second the flexibility of the structure and learning methods for students. Third how student support was developed using the concept of a learning community. It concludes by summarising the strengths and challenges of this mode of learning for students and the key lessons learned by the educators. (Contains 2 tables.)

Staff in three nursing homes (n=96) attended a person-centered dementia care education program. The learner-centered approach used theories of adult learning to encourage participants to implement ideas into their practice. (51 references) (JOW)

COVID-19 and the resulting limitations on freedom of movement has been difficult for many, including individuals living with dementia and those who provide support and care. In the summer of 2021, England's national lockdown measures eased, and regulations were amended to allow indoor social gatherings. With this enabling a return to in-person meetings, this study explored the experiences of people living with dementia and current and former care partners who had previously attended groups at Salford Institute for Dementia (UK). Two phases of research were conducted. In the first phase, during the summer of 2020, telephone interviews were utilised to ask participants (n = 13) about their views of re-engagement and how the in-person groups might be best reintroduced. Phase two began in the summer of 2021, where mood questionnaires (n = 10) were administered and observations conducted to explore how participants experienced the return to in-person meetings. Thematic analysis resulted in the construction of three overarching themes: planning for and the reality of transitioning; safety versus autonomy; and tensions and complexities of life in the 'new normal'. Despite initial concerns about their reintegration into the community, participants all enjoyed resuming in-person meetings. An inclusive and consultative approach to re-engagement allowed all participants to feel valued, safe, and informed about their return to campus. However, individuals living with dementia and care partners experienced the transition to re-engagement in different ways and their perceptions shifted over time. We therefore highlight the complexities of responding to different perceptions of risk and safety, while also promoting engagement and inclusivity after a period of social isolation. In this paper, we consider implications for the re-integration of individuals with dementia and their care partners into in-person social groups and propose further avenues for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The provision of health and social care services to people with dementia and their carers living in remote and rural areas has been neglected globally. Meeting the needs of [...]

Those diagnosed with dementia and those who provide care and support often feel socially isolated with limited opportunities for social engagement, increasing the potential for loneliness and further isolation that is detrimental to social health. This study examined how a co‐designed dementia café impacted on the self‐reported social health of community dwelling people with dementia and their care partners in the North‐West of England. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted at two time periods (summer of 2019 and spring of 2020), with five people living with dementia and eight care partners. The key finding was that participating in the cafés led to a sense of belonging and purpose that was beneficial to well‐being and social health for all participants. Community‐based initiatives that provide opportunities for peer support for the person with the diagnosis and the care partner are essential so that people living with dementia may rebuild their confidence as well as retaining opportunities to socialise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dementia care is in transition, and the potential exists for a radical reform of the provision of services to people with dementia. Recent developments in Scotland based on the report of the Royal Commission on Long Term Care, With Respect to Old Age, provide an example of the possibilities and opportunities available to governments for creating services based on principles of equity and justice. It is timely therefore to consider the implications of recent government reports for the development of dementia care provision. This paper explores the social and political context of formal dementia care provision and considers the implications of recent government reports for the future. The historical discourses surrounding the term 'dementia', and where and who cares for people with dementia, provide insights into the options available to policy makers. A brief exploration of the economic context of dementia care provision, and of the historically low level of political interest in dementia care, provides a backdrop to recent political initiatives that seek to redress this omission. KEY WORDS--dementia, care, dementia services, policy, Scotland.

Evidence exists relating to music‐based initiatives and positive health outcomes for people living with dementia who can access them. Yet, knowledge about the impact of 'music‐making' on the well‐being of community‐dwelling people with dementia is limited. Much of the existing evidence about the benefits of music is focused on care home settings where initiatives can be readily applied as part of a weekly schedule of activities. Therefore, this initiative aimed to provide opportunities to participate in music‐making, to increase social interaction and ultimately well‐being in a community environment. Ten music‐making session were scheduled for community‐dwelling people living with dementia and care‐partners, once a month between September 2019 and March 2020. Three sessions did not take place due to Covid19. Eighteen participants consented to take part including seven people living with dementia, five care‐partners and six former care‐partners. Baseline semi‐structured interviews explored the lived experience of music and expectations of the upcoming music‐making cafes. Self‐report questionnaires captured 'in the moment' experiences of each music‐making cafe. Follow‐up semi‐structured interviews explored the impact of music‐making on participants' self‐reported well‐being. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. The findings demonstrate that participating in the music‐making café benefitted the self‐reported well‐being of participants in three ways: first, a sense of camaraderie that enabled the facilitation of connections with others; second, creating opportunities to 'level the playing field' by always assuming a person's strengths and abilities; and third, group participation in music‐making meets a need for meaningful musical experiences. We conclude that participating in music‐making is a powerful medium to promote well‐being for community‐dwelling people living with dementia and care‐partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring that environments are designed to cater for those with decreasing orientation, perceptual and mobility skills, is an example of how environments are being changed to become more age and dementia friendly. However, environmental design should directly involve potential users of the environment to ensure that their views are accounted for. Four open-ended questions, focusing on orientation strategies, reasons for disorientation, and design preferences, were given to 32 older adults after they had completed a route learning task through an unfamiliar environment. A Content Analysis found a strong focus on participants' ability to memorize routes based on verbally encoding the route and on their ability to remember landmarks, with the reports linking closely to cognitive theories of navigation. Design suggestions included the importance of a homely and welcoming environment, memorable features, and access to the outdoors. The findings can be used inform age and dementia friendly design principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To examine the feasibility, acceptability and impact of an experiential course for family care partners of people living with dementia, Empowered Conversations (EC). This study aimed to assess the impact of participation in an EC course on care partner stress levels, communication and mentalization (a form of relational-based empathy). Method: This study uses an uncontrolled pre–post-follow-up design. Follow-up was at 4-months after the initial EC session where baseline data were collected. One hundred and fifty-nine care partners were recruited. EC is a training course that has been designed to improve care partner communication, well-being and relationships. It is based on an integrative framework that targets the specific psychological, relationship and communication needs of carers. This framework informs targeted strategies and interactive exercises that facilitate carers to consider the goals and emotions of those they are caring for, alongside their own goals and emotions, and to use this to maximize good communication. Results: Stress was significantly reduced across the three time points. Communication significantly improved across time. There were no significant changes in reflective functioning (mentalization). Discussion: This study provides preliminary evidence that a communication-skills training course for care partners of people living with dementia is an acceptable and feasible intervention and has an impact both post-intervention and at follow-up. These findings require validation in a rigorous, randomized study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research suggests there is a lack of post-diagnostic support to enable people living with dementia to fulfil social and active lives throughout their dementia journey. Gardening has been found to have many benefits for people living with dementia. Although such research is important, most research frames people with dementia as passive recipients of stimulation. Research into the impact of a community-based gardening group, where people living with dementia are active in the development of an outdoor space, is underdeveloped. Knowledge about the impact of participating in such groups is also sparse. The Good Life Club (GLC) was co-developed and evaluated to respond to these gaps. Objectives: The primary aim of this article is to present the findings regarding the impact of attending the GLC on the self-reported well-being for people living with dementia and care partners. Methods: Qualitative data were collected via 22 semi-structured interviews. Fourteen interviews were conducted before the GLC and eight after the GLC. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data. Dementia Care Mapping data were collected to supplement the interview data. Findings: Four key themes were identified. The first was that participants considered having active participation in social life to be a key aspect of living a good life. The second was that the way that the GLC was set up and delivered gave the participants ownership of the GLC and within this they felt able to contribute. The third was the importance of social connectedness and peer support to the well-being of both people living with dementia and care partners. Fourth, positive mood and well-being was directly experienced through gardening. Conclusions: The combination of long-term investment of time and energy to the GLC, ongoing friendships and in-session autonomy act as key ingredients in creating a group that is relaxed, full of humour and highly valued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dementia friendly (DF) is a term that has been increasingly used in the international literature to describe approaches that include and involve people living with dementia within their communities and wider society. How to support the involvement of people living with dementia to achieve dementia friendly care or support outcomes is an area that has begun to receive attention. We begin by introducing the concept of dementia friendly, the policy context and what has already been evidenced via prior reviews and conceptual discussions. We conducted a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines, resulting in the inclusion of nineteen papers that reported on the methods and approaches used to involve people living with dementia in achieving dementia friendly or supportive care outcomes. Five primary themes were identified: the potential of group-based activities to facilitate inclusion and engagement; achieving engagement in decision making; the value of developing tools to help service providers to engage those living with dementia in care decisions; the role of awareness raising and education to support the inclusion of a range of stakeholders in achieving DF support and care outcomes; the need for cultural and contextual sensitivity when seeking to engage stakeholders to achieve positive care outcomes. We conclude by considering how both the underpinning ethos of social citizenship and social inclusion need to be in place alongside a range of approaches that are adapted to fit local contexts and needs to enable the involvement of people living with dementia in achieving dementia friendly care outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting access to heritage settings has been acknowledged as a way to promote well-being in the United Kingdom for people living with dementia and their care partners. Yet there is a lack of information available internationally on the contribution of heritage sites to promote well-being and social inclusion for those living with dementia. This study addresses this gap by reporting on the impact for 48 people of participating in the 'Sensory Palaces' (SP) programme run by Historic Royal Palaces at Hampton Court and Kew Palaces in the United Kingdom. Two primary data sources were used; post-session interviews involving 30 participants (the person living with dementia and/or their care partners), and 131 sets of self-complete pre- and post-session mood questionnaires administered directly before and after SP session attendance. Analysis of the data sets is presented under three themes: enjoyment and engagement; connecting and learning and place, space and time. The findings demonstrate that participants highly valued the heritage sessions and reported positively on the impact this had for their individual well-being and their relationships with one another. This study highlights the opportunity for heritage sites to contribute to promoting well-being for people living with dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current international dementia care policies focus on creating 'dementia-friendly' communities that aim to support the social inclusion of people with dementia. Although it is known that the geo-socio-cultural rural environment can impact on the experiences of people living with dementia, this can be overlooked when exploring and implementing social inclusion policies. This paper addresses an important gap in the literature by exploring the perceptions of daily life for older men (65+ years) living with dementia in three rural areas of England. Open interviews were conducted with 17 rural-dwelling older men with dementia and the data elicited were analysed thematically to construct two higher order themes. The first focussed on ' Cracking on with life in a rural idyll ' and highlighted the benefits of rural living including the pleasant, natural environment, supportive informal networks and some accessible formal dementia support. The second presented ' A challenge to the idyll ' and outlined difficulties the men faced including a lack of dementia awareness amongst their family and the wider rural community as well as the physical and internal motivational barriers associated with the rural landscape and their dementia. The findings were interpreted through a lens of social inclusion and demonstrated how the geo-socio-cultural rural environment both enabled and inhibited facets of the men's experiences of life in their communities. Based on these findings, the paper offers recommendations for practitioners, researchers and policy makers wishing to promote social inclusion in rural-dwelling older men living with dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports findings from the evaluation of 'Sensory Palaces', an innovative project developed by the charity Historic Royal Palaces, which looks after six of the United Kingdom's unoccupied royal palaces. The Sensory Palaces project employs creative facilitators to support people living with dementia and their care partners in engaging with two of these sites; Hampton Court Palace and Kew Palace. This paper focusses on the role and contribution of the creative facilitators in supporting people living with dementia to connect with these heritage spaces. It reports on data collected from facilitator interviews relating to the benefits of engaging together through sensory and creative methods to explore and share experiences of the palaces, drawing out important factors from the design, content and delivery of the sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has suggested ecopsychosocial initiatives can promote a sense of wellbeing and inclusion in people with dementia. However, few studies have elucidated the 'active mechanisms' whereby such initiatives can achieve these outcomes, so hindering their generalisability. This is particularly pertinent when seeking to support community-dwelling older men with dementia who are reluctant to engage with traditional health and social care initiatives. This paper reports on a study that drew from the principles of Participatory Action Research to explore the 'active mechanisms' of a technological initiative for older men (65+ years) with dementia in rural England. An individually tailored, male-only initiative, using off-the-shelf computer game technology (e.g. iPad, Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Kinect) was delivered over a nine-week period. Multiple qualitative methods were employed, including: focus groups, open interviews and extensive reflective field notes, to gather data from the perspective of 22 men, 15 care partners and five community volunteers. The data were analysed thematically and interpreted using a masculinity lens. Three mechanisms contributed to the initiative's success: the use of the technology, the male-only environment and the empowering approach adopted. The paper argues that initiatives aimed at community-dwelling older men with dementia would be advised to consider these gendered experiences and ensure participants can maximise their masculine capital when participating in them, by providing enabling activities, non-threatening environments and empowering approaches of delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]