New Research: Dementia – Through the eyes of women
This project was conducted by Nada Savitch and Emily Abbott (Innovations in Dementia CIC), and Professor Gillian Parker (Social Policy Research Unit, University of York) and funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published it’s findings. They were looking at how dementia affects women, both as those with the disease and as carers (paid and unpaid).
The project provides a snapshot of the experiences, thoughts and opinions of women affected by dementia. It aims to inspire people to think differently about women and dementia by using their stories and reflections to inform the debate in a unique way.
As part of the project they carried out a literature review of what the existing research says about women’s experiences. It provided the initial framework of issues to explore in the narrative element of the project. With this information the team could build on and, where necessary, challenge what evidence currently exists.
Abstract
Dementia disproportionately affects women but the experiences and voices of women are missing from the research and literature. This project provides a snapshot of the experiences, thoughts and opinions of women affected by dementia: women with a diagnosis of dementia, women who are caring for family or friends, and women working in one of the caring professions which support people with dementia. This report aims to inspire people to think differently about women and dementia by using stories and reflections from individual women to inform the debate in a unique and insightful way.
The final report, summary and literature review are all available to download as follows:
