Dr Alison Phinney<\/strong> wants to better understand what it is like to be living with dementia. Since her early years in nursing, she has been reaching out in unique ways to help older adults successfully cope with the consequences of aging and disease. Now, through her research at UBC, her goal is to find ways to help those experiencing dementia continue to be engaged in life.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s distressingly easy for someone with dementia to stop being active in their community and lose their sense of well-being,\u201d says Alison. When seniors lose their sense of purpose and belonging in family and community, they become deprived of what researchers like Alison call \u201csocial citizenship.\u201d<\/p>\n The research uses qualitative methods to examine how people with dementia and their families experience the impact of cognitive impairment on their everyday lives, how people with dementia cope through involvement in meaningful activity, and the role that families and communities play in supporting them.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of my work is focused on hearing or listening to that voice of dementia,\u201d says Alison. By hearing people\u2019s experiences in their own words and seeking to understand this as much as possible from their standpoint, Alison\u2019s goal is to build up and sustain social citizenship. \u201cI\u2019ve learned a lot about the importance of participation and growth,\u201d she says. \u201cDementia does not change our desire to be a part of a community, to connect with others and to have something to contribute.\u201d<\/p>\n Two of the ongoing projects Alison is overseeing are aimed at giving people with dementia the opportunity to express themselves and to grow and participate in life to the fullest extent possible, free from discrimination.<\/p>\n YALE ROAD CENTRE PROJECT: THE ROLE OF ART IN PLACEMAKING IN TRANSITIONAL CARE HOMES<\/strong> Once the artwork was installed, the researchers looked at whether the art provided opportunities for dialogue and social engagement. They found that the presence of \u201creal\u201d art could invoke important emotional responses. The research demonstrates that older people benefit from expressing themselves creatively. \u201cWe heard stories of people\u2019s past and also stories of what they wished for,\u201d says Alison. \u201cBy inviting conversation with people with dementia, it creates openings for hearing the voice of dementia.\u201d<\/p>\n HOW COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMMING CAN INFLUENCE SOCIAL CITIZENSHIP<\/strong> To address this, Alison\u2019s research group is conducting a two-year ethnographic study at two different sites: a traditional adult day program and a social and recreational group for people with young onset dementia. Findings to date reveal that the latter, with its strong focus on \u201cnormal and ordinary activities,\u201d supports important aspects of social citizenship for its members, including:<\/p>\n Reducing Stigma<\/strong> Activities are designed to bring group members out into the city where they can see and be seen. This visibility helps create community awareness and understanding of what it means to live well with dementia.<\/p>\n Promoting Participation<\/strong> Group members are afforded opportunity to engage in the life of the city. Through their active participation, members are contributing to the creation of an inclusive urban space.<\/p>\n Building Community<\/strong> The commitment to shared group activity promotes a strong sense of emotional connection and social belonging amongst the members of the club.<\/p>\n Submitted by Alison Phinney and Jennifer Baumbusch<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Engaging Adults with Dementia Dr Alison Phinney wants to better understand what it is like to be living with dementia. Since her early years in nursing, she has been reaching out in unique ways to help older adults successfully cope with the consequences of aging and disease. Now, through her research at UBC, her goal is to find ways to help those experiencing dementia continue to be engaged in life. \u201cIt\u2019s distressingly easy for someone with dementia to stop being active in their community and lose their sense of well-being,\u201d…read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91297,"featured_media":1588,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2016-spring-summer","et-bg-layout-dark","et-white-bg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/touchpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/touchpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/touchpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/touchpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91297"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/touchpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1587"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/touchpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1587\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1589,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/touchpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1587\/revisions\/1589"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/touchpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/touchpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/touchpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/touchpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nIn partnership with Emily Carr University and Fraser Health Authority, Alison\u2019s research is helping to turn a challenge into an opportunity. The Yale Road Centre is a transitional care facility in Surrey housed in an older building with little budget for interior design. \u201cPeople with dementia become more attuned to the aesthetics of their surroundings,\u201d says Alison, \u201cand care facilities can be barren environments, places of aesthetic deprivation.\u201d Alison\u2019s team worked with Emily Carr University students to create artwork to bring colour and life to the facility as well as provide way finding cues. \u201cIt\u2019s about making the unfamiliar, familiar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nCommunity-based programs are becoming more common as a way to support people with dementia who are living at home. However, there is little understanding about their benefits and challenges.<\/p>\n