Dementia Support in a Diverse World

CARE are collaborating with ExChange Wales this March for their spring conference ‘Dementia Support in a Diverse World’, including a series of webinars from social work researchers, practitioners and individuals with dementia.

Sign up today for these free upcoming webinars.

Abstract

This webinar introduces the NIHR-funded Food Glorious Food project, offering early insights from its realist evaluation. People living with dementia face a heightened risk of malnutrition and dehydration. However, food plays a far more significant role than nutrition alone – it can influence psychosocial wellbeing, foster a sense of citizenship, and support personal and cultural identity. Positive experiences in these areas are vital to living well with dementia.  

The Food Glorious Food project investigates how food-related practices within community-based group support impact people from diverse backgrounds and circumstances. It is a collaboration between the Association for Dementia Studies (University of Worcester), Cardiff University, University of Oxford, and the University of Wolverhampton. The project is employing flexible qualitative methods to generate data from ethnically diverse community support groups. The goal is to identify what works, for whom, in what circumstances.

Abstract

At least 25,000 people from minority ethnic communities are living with dementia in the UK. However, there are likely to be important differences in the services that people from these communities receive compared to their white-British counterparts. For instance, people from many communities are significantly less likely to receive a diagnosis of dementia and when they are diagnosed then this is likely to be at a later stage in the illness when they are more severely impaired. Consequently, they are likely to miss out on receiving NICE approved treatments including medication, while they and their families are likely to live with increased levels of strain and uncertainty. There are also important differences in the services that people from these three communities receive later in the dementia pathway – with service users often reporting that statutory provision simply does not meet their needs. Instead, people from these communities are more likely to be reliant on local, community-based organisations outside the dementia mainstream for support.

One alternative method of delivering services is for NHS and other agencies to work increasingly in partnership with community organisations who represent these communities. While this has many potential benefits, there are also many challenges to this work – for instance often community workers do not feel that their expertise is sufficiently valued, or that the constraints on their work are fully appreciated. This presentation will outline these challenges and briefly outline some potential solutions to these.

Abstract

It is increasingly appreciated that one’s ‘social location’ (i.e. age, gender identity, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, living context, sexual orientation, etc) will affect their experiences of living with dementia. For some, this may result in inequalities and inequities experienced throughout the dementia care pathway, from pre- to post-diagnosis. Whilst we know that dementia may pose specific challenges for LGBTQ+ people, research studies with this community remain scarce. There is also limited literature that has reported the first-hand experiences of LGBTQ+ people living with dementia, meaning their stories have been unheard.  

In this webinar, John will present findings from his recent research studies that have focussed on understanding better the health and social care experiences of LGBTQ+ people with dementia. Their rich and diverse stories will be discussed and some guidance for best practices to support LGBTQ+ people living with dementia will be provided. 

Abstract

Abstract to follow.