20 research outputs found
General Practitioners’ perceptions of the stigma of dementia and the role of reciprocity
YesA qualitative exploration of the stigma of dementia reported that GPs described lack of reciprocity as one way in which people with dementia are perceived within society. This was closely linked to their perception of dementia as a stigma. In this paper, we explore whether GPs perceive people with dementia as lacking reciprocity and, so, if this is linked with societal opinions about dementia as a stigma. The implications of both perceptions of people with dementia failing to reciprocate and of stigma for timely diagnosis are explored.
GPs’ perceptions of societal views of people with dementia included a perception of a lack of reciprocity. Specifically, an absence of reciprocity was linked with; failing to respond to human contact, the absence of an appropriate return on social investment and failing to contribute to, or being a burden to, society. GPs reported a link between societal perceptions of lack of reciprocity and stereotypes about advanced dementia, difficulties communicating with people with dementia and lack of opportunities for people with dementia to reciprocate.
GPs occupy a key position, they can challenge stereotypes and, with support and targeted training about communicating with people living with dementia, can emphasise the ways in which people with dementia can communicate, thereby enhancing their potential to reciprocate. Such changes have implications for improved care and quality of life through the continued maintenance of social inclusion and perceptions of personhood.non
Stigma and GPs’ perceptions of dementia
YesObjectives: General practitioners (GPs) are crucial to improving timely diagnosis, but little is reported about how they
perceive dementia, and whether their perceptions display any elements of stigma. The aim of this study was to explore how
GPs’ perceptions of dementia map onto current conceptualizations of stigma and whether GPs feel that stigma affects
timely diagnosis.
Methods: Twenty-three GPs from England were interviewed by telephone. Data were analyzed by means of content
analysis. This involved open coding followed by the application of a coding framework derived from the literature to
explore how and to what extent their perceptions relate to stigma as well as the unique nature of their perceptions.
Results: Three themes emerged from the analysis: (1) ‘making sense of dementia’, (2) ‘relating perceptions of dementia to
oneself’ and (3) ‘considering the consequences of dementia’. GPs’ perceptions of dementia mapped onto current
conceptualizations of stigma. Perceptions about dementia that were linked to their own existential anxiety and to a
perceived similarity between people with dementia and themselves were particularly salient. GPs perceived dementia as a
stigma which was gradually being overcome but that stigma still hindered timely diagnosis. They provided examples of
structural discrimination within the health service, including lack of time for patients and shortcomings in training that
were to the detriment of people with dementia.
Conclusion: Measures to involve GPs in tackling stigma should include training and opportunities to explore how they
perceive dementia, as well as support to address structural discrimination.The study was funded by Alzheimer Europe (Luxembourg) in the form of tuition fees for Dianne Gove for her PhD study
Ethical implications of the perception and portrayal of dementia
yesThe way we perceive and portray dementia has implications for how we act towards people with
dementia and how we address the issue of dementia within society. As a multi-disciplinary
working group, established within the framework of the European Dementia Ethics Network
of Alzheimer Europe, we aimed to describe the different ways that people with dementia are
perceived and portrayed within society and to consider the moral implications of this. In the
current paper, we address perceptions of dementia as reflected in explanatory models of its cause
and nature, descriptions of characteristics of people with dementia, the use of language, media
portrayals and the views of people living with dementia. Academics and professionals could use
this exploration to reflect on their behaviour and their use of language regarding people
with dementiaThe taskforce’s work arises from the 2013 Work Plan of Alzheimer Europe, which received funding from the European Union in the framework of the Health Programme
Consumer ethnicity three decades after: a TCR agenda
Research into consumer ethnicity is a vital discipline that has substantially evolved in the past three decades. This conceptual article critically reviews its immense literature and examines the extent to which it has provided extensive contributions not only for the understanding of ethnicity in the marketplace but also for personal/collective well-being. We identify two gaps accounting for scant transformative contributions. First, today social transformations and conceptual sophistications require a revised vocabulary to provide adequate interpretive lenses. Second, extant work has mostly addressed the subjective level of ethnic identity projects but left untended the meso/macro forces affecting ethnicity (de)construction and personal/collective well-being. Our contribution stems from filling both gaps and providing a theory of ethnicity (de)construction that includes migrants as well as non-migrants