Dementia Studies graduate speaks at conference on Ageing and Culture
Nursing Home manager and BSc (Hons) Dementia Studies graduate Nick Edwards was recently invited to join a panel of experts at a conference at the University of Gloucestershire.
Titled 'Older Age and Cultural Activity', the conference had a mixed audience of approximately 50 participants, including research staff, service providers for older people, and older people's service user groups. Other speakers included Dr Trish Winter (University of Sunderland, UK) who presented work from her AHRC funded project on a dance group for elders.
As a representative of a service provider for older people, Nick spoke about experiences of working with older people, and older women in particular. His talk focused on ways that older women, including those with dementia, can stay in touch with cultural life, and particularly issues around dress and identity.
Nick tells us that there was a lively debate about how society does and does not value older women and recognise their unique contribution our society. “It provided me with an ideal opportunity to challenge people's preconceptions about the value of people living with dementia, particularly women,” he says. “I hope it made participants re-think their perception of dementia care in nursing homes.”