Participatory Approaches in Dementia Policy and Practice
The module has been created to introduce people and organisations working with people with dementia, to the growing variety of projects and methods which seek to engage with people with dementia to drive changes.
Key facts
Overview
This module focuses on participatory approaches in dementia practice and policy. It begins with considering what is meant by participation and examines different models that can be applied to dementia practice.
The notion of citizenship has gained traction within dementia studies and provides a useful lens through which to examine concepts of participation, involvement and co-production.
The module then moves on to explore and reflect upon examples of participation in dementia practice, starting by considering how people with dementia are supported to play an active role in their own lives and then moving on to consider their involvement in shaping wider models of practice and support.
Reflection on the involvement of people with dementia in shaping national and international policy provides insight into the potential for participation at the macro level.
The module concludes with reflections on the ethics of participatory practice and considers how to best evaluate such approaches. The course content will help anyone working in dementia care organisations, policy or practice to actively engage with people with dementia as partners, and how to use co-production to inform your own professional organisations and practice.
Entrance requirements
This course is useful to anyone working in dementia care, who would like to give people with dementia the opportunity to work with you to develop your own organisations or professional activities.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:
- IELTS Academic or UKVI 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each sub-skill.
- Pearson Test of English (Academic) 60 overall with a minimum of 59 in each sub-skill.
- IBT TOEFL 78 overall with a minimum of 17 in listening, 18 in reading, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing.
See our information on English language requirements for more details on the language tests we accept and options to waive these requirements.
Objectives
The module's aims and objectives:
- To develop students' knowledge of the theory and frameworks that shape participatory approaches to dementia care.
- To provide learning on how people with dementia can be supported to participate meaningfully in policy and practice.
- To explore detailed examples of co-production linking to some of the key topics and themes covered in the dementia studies programme.
- To reflect on the ethics of co-production and the applicability of different approaches in students' own contexts.
Structure and content
The course is delivered over eleven weeks. The module is delivered over a series of six distinct sections delivered via the canvas learning environment. Students undertake a single section per week, interspersed by a reading with between sections 3 and 4, and a further reading week before the assignment submission deadline. Module sections include:
- Section 1. Understanding co-production and participation
- Section 2. Participation at an individual level
- Section 3. Participation at the organisational and local level
- Section 4. Dementia activism
- Section 5. Dementia (co-) research
- Section 6. Evaluating participation and co-production
The module first explores what we mean by participation and participatory practice, before introducing students to the variety of models of participatory practice which can be applied to dementia care practice. After this, we consider how participatory approaches have worked with people with dementia as partners in shaping dementia care practice, and provide you with examples of how to apply principles of participatory practice and co-production in your own professional practice.
Delivery and assessment
The assignment for this module requires you to plan a co-production project relevant to your own area of practice. The assignment should provide a theoretical framework for the planned project and set out the approach and methods and the proposed outcomes from the project.
This course is taught online and has a weekly time commitment of 16 hours per week.
Module coordinator
What next?
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