EnAct-Dem Project: Centring the lived experience of dementia within policy, practice and community development
People with dementia tell us their preference is to ‘age in place’. This means being able to remain at home and continue to be part of the local community. One reason this is so important is that there is much more to life with dementia than simply being in receipt of care. Yet, the significance of life beyond care and support is not well understood in the context of living with dementia. People with a diagnosis, and unpaid carers, tell us that there are many day-to-day experiences, relationships and opportunities on offer in their communities that enable them to live a better life with dementia. These opportunities are vital to wellbeing and quality of life, they enable people to maintain independence and through social and physical activity have the potential to delay or prevent admission to long term care. The EnAct-Dem project will work alongside groups and individuals living with dementia to explore the significance of this wider world to managing life with dementia in a community setting. We will examine the network of places and people that play a part in creating supportive and inclusive communities and we will use our learning to inform policy-making, community development and service provision.
The EnAct-Dem team
Our international team is drawn from three countries (Canada, Germany, and UK) and is collaborating with people living with dementia to influence change and ensure that their perspectives and interests are represented in systems of planning and provision. We will generate learning about the most effective ways that people with dementia can influence policy-making, planning and commissioning at the community level. The research will build connections between networks of people with dementia, locally and internationally. In the longer-term we aim to inform public awareness and understanding of dementia by demonstrating the significant contribution made by people living with dementia within their communities.
