Living with Dementia (LiD) research programme aimed to cultivate a programme of psychosocial research that would contribute to the development of timely, responsible and accessible interventions to support people diagnosed with dementia and their family caregivers. Running from 2007 to 2013, LiD tackled the negative connotations associated with dementia which often lead to marginalisation and discrimination of people with dementia.
Prior to Atlantic’s investment in this area, dementia tended to be viewed through a bio-medical lens. There was little or no research focus on critical topics such as personhood, citizenship, rights autonomy, stigma, person-centred care and quality of life.
LiD changed this by training early career researchers in psychosocial methodologies and impacts. One of its long term goals was to make person-centred dementia services part of normal practice so that people with dementia were regarded and treated as full citizens and not the subject of negative attitudes.
LiD’s main activities included:
- Capacity-building through the recruitment and supervision of young academics to develop research competencies in the area of psychosocial interventions in dementia care;
- Improved collaboration between practice centres such as day-care centres, nursing homes and hospitals, and academic research and training centres;
- An increase in PhD students in the field of dementia and social care with the ultimate goal of improving practice outcomes for people with dementia.
