Using Appreciative Inquiry to promote choice for older people and their carers
| Pages | 13-21 |
| Date | 09 November 2010 |
| Published date | 09 November 2010 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5042/mhsi.2010.0618 |
| Author | Patience Seebohm,Julie Barnes,Salma Yasmeen,Margaret Langridge,Celia Moreton‐Prichard |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
Mental Health and Social Inclusion • Volume 14 Issue 4 • November 2010 © Pier Professional Ltd 13
10.5042/mhsi.2010.0618
London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLAM)
commissioned an ‘Appreciative Inquiry’ project. A
wide range of participants took part in conversations
across the borough about making the choices that
matter most to them.
In this article we tell the story of this project, its
background, the Appreciative Inquiry approach and
what we learned. Celia Moreton-Prichard writes about
caring for her husband with dementia and Margaret
Langridge, Lead Occupational Therapist at the
Lewisham MHOA describes her experiences during
the project.
Introduction
‘There is no power greater than a community
discovering what it cares about.’
(Wheatley, 2009)
We all want the power to choose how we live
our lives; if we are unwell, we want to choose the
care and support we receive. For older adults with
dementia or mental health problems and their carers,
the power to choose is often limited. To start creating
more choice for people in Lewisham, the Mental
Health of Older Adults (MHOA) Directorate of South
Using Appreciative Inquiry
to promote choice for older
people and their carers
USER EMPOWERMENT
Patience Seebohm
Independent Researcher, UK
Julie Barnes
Independent Consultant, UK
Salma Yasmeen
Deputy Director, Dementia and Older Adults Mental Health Clinical Academic Group, South London and Maudsley
NHS Foundation Trust, UK
Margaret Langridge
Lead Occupational Therapist, Mental Health of Older Adults, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK
Celia Moreton-Prichard
Carer, UK
Abstract
This article describes how an ‘Appreciative Inquiry’ approach was used in south London to enhance the levels
of choice that older adults with dementia or mental health problems and their carers have in relation to the
care and support they receive.
Key words
Appreciative Inquiry; Choice; Older people; Dementia; Mental health problems; Social inclusion
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