What does neighbourhood mean for people living with dementia? Andrew Clark (University of Salford) a.clark@salford.ac.uk Sarah Campbell (University of Manchester) Richard Ward (University of Stirling), Agneta Kullberg (Linkoping University), John Keady (University of Manchester), Kainde Manji (University of Stirling)
Neighbourhoods and dementia • ESRC/NIHR funded • 2014-2019 • Eight work programmes / Eleven activity streams • Ten organisations • PI: John Keady (University of Manchester)
Neighbourhoods: Our people, our places • What do people affected by dementia understand about their local environments? • How does the local environment impact on the lives of people affected by dementia? • How can the local environment support people affected by dementia?
Neighbourhoods and dementia • International scope • Longitudinal design • Qualitatively-driven mixed methods • Participatory network mapping (x39) • Home tours (x27) • Walking interviews (x30) • Sample • 28 People Living With Dementia • 23 Family Carers *Figs for GM fieldsite only
Neighbouring: ‘little acts of kindness’ R: Yes, they’re good neighbours. I: What makes you say they’re good neighbours? R: Because, the thing is, they bring my bin out for me. I: Yeah, okay. Up the steep side. R: Yeah, yeah. I: And do they do that without being asked, or do you have to ask them? R: No, no, they do it voluntary. I: They just do it themselves voluntary… [and] they mind our house when we go away (Joanne, Mancs) L: Well our butcher, he makes all his own Sausages on a Wednesday and its nice to catch up with, you know, he always asks ‘how’s the grandchildren?’ I: So he’s someone who have a chat with?’ L: Oh yeah, and I still pop in there even if I don’t need anything (Lisa, Mancs)
Neighbouring: latent support R2: The other tenants in here all look after and keep an eye out for each other. Now, it was another tenant that actually shouted for me… Danny. [carer]: He actually stopped you from going out. Because he knew there was something wrong, so he just started shouting for me, sort of thing… But they all look out for each other, so it’s more of a safety net. (Rita, Mancs)
Neighbouring: latent support I: would you go out for a walk locally? S: Locally on my own, yes. I’m not afraid. Because I know the area quite well, and the people know me and I know them. I: So you don’t get lost when you come out. S: I have been lost a few times, but that was my own fault because I’ve took the wrong turning, gone the wrong way, and then straight away [someone asked me] are you all right love? And I [said] ‘I don’t know where I am’. And she was absolutely lovely. She said, come on in and have a cup of tea and calm down. (Sheila, Mancs)
Neighbouring: reciprocal support A: He’s one of my neighbours and he’s a very devout catholic and he fetches us all a little bottle of holy water with the picture of our lady of lord on the bottle and everybody looks out for him and he’s...he looks out for everybody else. I: Do you look out for him, Anne? A: Yes, if I thought anybody was going to take the mickey out of him I wouldn't let them. We had one man in there that used to take...really take the mickey out of him and when I found out... [later] I: Is Margaret [a neighbour] someone else you look out for? A: Yes, she’s...when I think about it I look after [lots of people?] like that, I think I’m one of the best on me legs and they always knock on my door I don't know why, it’s just dawned on me they do and I... I: The neighbours who knock on your door? A: Yeah. And I am unofficially Margaret’s carer (Anne, Mancs)
Being connected: habit J: I always go to Asda, which was the Co-op originally. Then I have a cup of coffee, and it’s Pauline that’s with me for coffee. I: And is it in a café or is it in something like Asda? J: Yeah… It’s in xx Road. xx I think it is called… I usually go there after…with Pauline, and I also go there with Ron, and when he goes…when we go to the Alzheimer’s clinic, we go to have lunch there. And I think it’s £4.99 for breakfast… I: And is that your favourite place, the cafe? J: Yeah, that’s where I did the 80s there, 80, I was 80… Your 80 th birthday party? I: J: Yes, yeah. (Joanne, Mancs) sometimes I venture out on my own, not to new places, because like I said, it’s difficult remembering how to get back. But like this walk, I’ve done this for years, this is like old school to me this. (Linda, Mancs)
Being connected: routine the bus stop there will take me to Stockport and the bus stop on the other side I can go all the way to the Trafford Centre if I want and my sister-in-law lives in between [here and there]. And because I’ve been doing it from my own home I used to catch the same bus I can do that blindfolded. I don't go anywhere else on the bus but I can go to her house. I get the number 23 there and it stops at [xxx] and then I get a number 15 and it stops right outside her front door…. I can do that no problem… I won’t get on a bus on my own and I know it’s still the same bus going somewhere else but the only place I go on me own on a place is to me brother’s because I’ve done it for so long it’s like going to the corner you know. (Anne, Mancs)
Being connected: beyond a ‘shrinking world’ “I spend many an hour sat in my chair watching a fella that works there and honest to god if I ever needed a man to work for me it would be him. He never stops, it’s the best worker I’ve ever seen, he has nobody watching him but what he hasn’t done...he’s painted that building a couple of times and he’s redone the floor, I’ve never seen anybody work like him. So it fascinates me watching him through window.” (Anna, Mancs) When the big ships used to come in – and it still happens occasionally – this bridge here will swing round, so all the traffic going to the Trafford Centre or coming out of the Trafford Centre has to wait. And we still get occasional big ships coming down here. There was a Norwegian one the other day, flying the Norwegian flag, it goes straight down into Manchester. I: And you see this from your flat? R2: You can see it from where we are, yes. (Dominic, Mancs)
Being connected: beyond a ‘shrinking world’ I: And with your dementia, Doris, is it harder for you going out now? D: No. I: You like going out still? D: Yes. When I feel like it… I sit outside. I: In your garden? D: Yes. I sit on the drive and [see people] passing, [see] the children go up. I: Do they? D: Yes. And I see them. I: They come and say hi, and have a chat. [carer]: Uh huh. I: The children who live round here? [carer]: There’s one who lives opposite and he brings all the school kids with him. I: Does he? And he comes over for a chat? [carer]: They bob over just now and again. You know? I: Do you like that when the children come over and chat with you? D: Oh yeah, yeah. I enjoy it. I enjoy children talking. I like to tell them about when I was a child, you know? I had a good life. (Doris, Mancs)
Neighbourhoods, neighbouring and ‘little acts of kindness’ • Neighbourhoods as collections of ‘daily practices’ as well as practical resources • Neighbourhoods as more than the material or physical environment • Neighbourhoods as interconnected webs of latent support • The importance of ‘little acts of kindness’ as a way of supporting and connecting
Recommend
More recommend
