"It Is Part of Belonging": Walking Groups to Promote Social Health amongst People Living with Dementia.

Autor/inn/en	Robertson, Jane M.; Gibson, Grant; Pemble, Catherine; Harrison, Rog; Strachan, Kim; Thorburn, Sheila
Titel	"It Is Part of Belonging": Walking Groups to Promote Social Health amongst People Living with Dementia.
Quelle	In: Social Inclusion, 8 (2020) 3, S. 113-122 PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Link als defekt meldenVerfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2183-2803
DOI	10.17645/si.v8i3.2784
Schlagwörter	Soziale Partizipation; Kontakt; Wohlbefinden; Soziale Beziehung; Demenz; Kontakt; Wohlbefinden; Gesundheitsförderung; Inklusion; Gesundheitsförderung; Demenz
Abstract	People with dementia often report experiencing a 'shrinking world' connected with reduced opportunities to access physical and social spaces. This article applies the framework of social health (Dröes et al., 2017; Huber et al., 2011) as a theoretical lens through which to consider how inclusive walking groups can facilitate access to places and spaces to support people with dementia to remain connected in their communities. Findings are reported from walking interviews and focus group discussions with people with dementia, family carers, volunteers and walk leaders who participated in a national programme of dementia-friendly walking groups in Scotland. Thematic analysis of the data demonstrates that participation has a positive impact on social health, supporting people living with dementia to fulfil their potential, to engage in meaningful activity and to manage both their condition and their wider lives. Benefits include providing a context for continuing social participation and relationships for people with dementia and family carers. Additionally, groups provide a safe space where people with dementia can walk with autonomy and help to reinforce a sense of capacity and agency. Wider implications include the role of walking groups in fostering interdependencies between people with dementia and their wider communities by promoting an enabling ethos of dementia 'inclusiveness.' The benefits of developing an inclusive and supportive approach to involving people living with dementia in walking groups could extend more broadly to the wider community, with such initiatives acting as a catalyst for growing levels of social participation.
Erfasst von	GESIS - Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften, Mannheim
Update	2021/2