Facilitating an evolving service user involvement group for people with dementia: what can we learn?
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JMHTEP-09-2015-0046 |
| Published date | 09 May 2016 |
| Date | 09 May 2016 |
| Pages | 81-90 |
| Author | Jocelyne Kenny,Ian Asquith,Reinhard Guss,Elizabeth Field,Lewis Slade,Alexandra Bone,Keith Oliver,Mark Jones,Chris Ryan,Melvyn Brooks,Chris Norris |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Mental health education |
Facilitating an evolving service user
involvement group for people with
dementia: what can we learn?
Jocelyne Kenny, Ian Asquith, Reinhard Guss, Elizabeth Field, Lewis Slade, Alexandra Bone,
Keith Oliver, Mark Jones, Chris Ryan, Melvyn Brooks and Chris Norris
Jocelyne Kenny is a Trainee
Clinical Psychologist at the
Royal Holloway University of
London, London, UK.
Ian Asquith is a Trainee Clinical
Psychologist at the Department
of Psychology, University of
Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Reinhard Guss is a Consultant
Clinical Psychologist, Elizabeth
Field is a Clinical Psychologist
and Lewis Slade is an Assistant
Psychologist, all at the KMPT
Community Mental Health
Services for Older People,
Canterbury, UK.
Alexandra Bone is based at the
KMPT Community Mental
Health Services for Older
People, Canterbury, UK.
Keith Oliver, Mark Jones,
Chris Ryan, Melvyn Brooks and
Chris Norris are Members
of the Forget-Me-Nots,
Canterbury, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how service user involvement for people living
with a diagnosis of dementia can contribute to innovate ways of training and educating a skilled
healthcare workforce.
Design/methodology/approach –The paper uses a case study approach, including interviews
observations and reflections from facilitators and members of a service user group for people living with
dementia in a recovery-based older adult service in East Kent, UK. In total, 11 people were involved in this
study: five people are living with a diagnosis of dementia, two are clinical psychologists, two are trainee clinical
psychologists and two are placement year psychology undergraduates.
Findings –The paper shows how service user involvement groups can enable people with dementia to train
a wide range of healthcare professionals in different areas, from the perspective of people living with dementia
and healthcare professionals. It also reflects on the challenges that can arise through working with patients in
a more collegiate way.
Originality/value –This paper demonstrates that people with dementia can be involved in the training of
healthcare professionals in innovative ways. It therefore suggests new ways of working with people with
dementia to develop staff skills.
Keywords Collegiate working, People living with dementia, Recovery model, Service user
Paper type Viewpoint
1. Introduction
Until the 1990s, the “standard”biomedical model understood dementia as a set of irreversible
neurological impairments (Kitwood, 1990). This was challenged by the emergence of a person-
centred model of dementia, which emphasised the role of malignant social psychological
processes on the deterioration of cognitive functions (Kitwood, 1997a).
The term “person-centred approach”to care was first used by Kitwood (1988) to describe ways
of working with people with dementia that were not framed within a medical model. Person-
centred care has become synonymous with good quality care (Brooker, 2004). Its principles are
reflected in NICE (2006) guidelines that recognise the human value of people with dementia,
regardless of age or cognitive impairment, and those who care for them; the individuality of
people with dementia, with their unique personality and life experiences among the influences
on their response to the dementia; the importance of the perspective of the person with
dementia; the importance of relationships and interactions with others to the person
with dementia, and their potential for promoting wellbeing.
Received 29 September 2015
Revised 18 December 2015
Accepted 18 December 2015
DOI 10.1108/JMHTEP-09-2015-0046 VOL. 11 NO. 2 2016, pp.81-90, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1755-6228
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THE JOURNAL OF MENTALHEALTH TRAINING, EDUCATION AND PRACTICE
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