Innovation With People Living With Dementia: Creating New Narratives on Meaning, Belonging, Community, and Place

TL;DR

The paper explores how collaborations between dementia researchers and community groups can lead to innovative approaches in supporting people with dementia.

Contribution

It introduces new narratives on meaning, belonging, and community through partnerships with Black congregations in North America.

Findings

Collaborations with Black congregations can better support dementia patients through community-based approaches.

Institutional support and trust-building are crucial for successful community partnerships.

Effective marketing helps extend the impact of pilot dementia projects.

Abstract

This paper shares insights about innovation resulting from collaboration between dementia researchers and community-based organizations in North America, and how these collaborations can foster new ways of thinking and doing with people with dementia. The author focuses on examples from work with Black congregations to better support community members with dementia, with attention to institutional support for this type of collaboration, building trust with community partners, the role of effective marketing in extending impact beyond pilot projects, and the challenges of leading innovation.