'Neighbourhoods: our people, our places'
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The dementia-enabled neighbourhood: understanding the changing relationship of people-practices-places
IRAS ID
162305
Contact name
Richard Ward
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Stirling
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 0 months, 29 days
Research summary
This participatory project is aimed at finding out how people with dementia and those who care for them experience their neighbourhood and the role it plays in their lives. Over the course of five years we will begin by conducting research with people with dementia and carers that helps us to understand what their neighbourhood means to them and will then use the evidence gathered to design a neighbourhood-based approach to supporting people affected by the condition. In the final years of the project we will pilot and evaluate this intervention in each of the 3 field sites.
The research stage of the project will involve a mix of qualitative methods. Using a social network mapping technique we will ask people to tell us about the people in their lives who are important to them and the type of help or support they receive. We will also ask people to take us for a walk around their neighbourhood following a route that is familiar to them and part of their weekly routine and as we walk together we will ask them about different aspects of this local environment. In the event that walking is difficult for an individual we will offer the alternative option of completing a week-long diary of their movements beyond the home. In order to understand how the progressive nature of dementia affects a person’s relationship to their environment over time we intend to return to them and conduct similar interviews between 12-18 months later.
Throughout the research period we will be giving regular briefings to a small action learning set of practitioners to consider implications for practice as well as meeting with groups of people with dementia and carers to elicit their feedback on our findings.REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
15/IEC08/0007
Date of REC Opinion
16 Mar 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion