Changes in Measures of Dementia Awareness in UK Church Congregations Following a ‘Dementia-Friendly’ Intervention: A Pre–Post Cohort Study
Given their stability, their ability to influence public attitudes and capacity to mobilise human resources, it seems likely that many faith communities can have a significant impact on the wellbeing of people living with dementia (PLWD) and their carers, who may be dependent on the commitment of in...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-07-01
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| Series: | Religions |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/11/7/337 |
| _version_ | 1797563087006466048 |
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| author | Peter Kevern David Primrose |
| author_facet | Peter Kevern David Primrose |
| author_sort | Peter Kevern |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Given their stability, their ability to influence public attitudes and capacity to mobilise human resources, it seems likely that many faith communities can have a significant impact on the wellbeing of people living with dementia (PLWD) and their carers, who may be dependent on the commitment of informal communities of support over months or years. This paper reports on a pre–post cohort study undertaken in an Anglican (Church of England) diocese in the UK. Representatives (N = 61) of 11 church communities completed the Dementia Awareness Scale immediately before and 12 months after an intervention to promote ‘Dementia-Friendly Church’ in their congregation. Results showed a robust improvement in scores on both the ‘Knowledge’ and ‘Comfort’ subscales, with the largest effect size in the latter. Within each subscale, improvements were evenly distributed across the individual items. These findings indicate that such an intervention is likely to significantly improve the environment for people living with dementia and their companions who are members of or engage with the Church community. They also suggest that a similar programme could be extended to other intentional communities, whether in faith-based organisations or societies with shared interests. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:37:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-81eb93a5d6844ae1b6bb82167e3513db |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:37:36Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-81eb93a5d6844ae1b6bb82167e3513db2023-11-20T06:05:16ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442020-07-0111733710.3390/rel11070337Changes in Measures of Dementia Awareness in UK Church Congregations Following a ‘Dementia-Friendly’ Intervention: A Pre–Post Cohort StudyPeter Kevern0David Primrose1Professor of Values in Health and Social Care, Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2DE, UKTransforming Church and Communities Enabler, Anglican Diocese of Lichfield, Lichfield, WS13 7LD, UKGiven their stability, their ability to influence public attitudes and capacity to mobilise human resources, it seems likely that many faith communities can have a significant impact on the wellbeing of people living with dementia (PLWD) and their carers, who may be dependent on the commitment of informal communities of support over months or years. This paper reports on a pre–post cohort study undertaken in an Anglican (Church of England) diocese in the UK. Representatives (N = 61) of 11 church communities completed the Dementia Awareness Scale immediately before and 12 months after an intervention to promote ‘Dementia-Friendly Church’ in their congregation. Results showed a robust improvement in scores on both the ‘Knowledge’ and ‘Comfort’ subscales, with the largest effect size in the latter. Within each subscale, improvements were evenly distributed across the individual items. These findings indicate that such an intervention is likely to significantly improve the environment for people living with dementia and their companions who are members of or engage with the Church community. They also suggest that a similar programme could be extended to other intentional communities, whether in faith-based organisations or societies with shared interests.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/11/7/337Dementia-Friendly ChurchAlzheimer’sreligionquantitativecohort study |
| spellingShingle | Peter Kevern David Primrose Changes in Measures of Dementia Awareness in UK Church Congregations Following a ‘Dementia-Friendly’ Intervention: A Pre–Post Cohort Study Religions Dementia-Friendly Church Alzheimer’s religion quantitative cohort study |
| title | Changes in Measures of Dementia Awareness in UK Church Congregations Following a ‘Dementia-Friendly’ Intervention: A Pre–Post Cohort Study |
| title_full | Changes in Measures of Dementia Awareness in UK Church Congregations Following a ‘Dementia-Friendly’ Intervention: A Pre–Post Cohort Study |
| title_fullStr | Changes in Measures of Dementia Awareness in UK Church Congregations Following a ‘Dementia-Friendly’ Intervention: A Pre–Post Cohort Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Changes in Measures of Dementia Awareness in UK Church Congregations Following a ‘Dementia-Friendly’ Intervention: A Pre–Post Cohort Study |
| title_short | Changes in Measures of Dementia Awareness in UK Church Congregations Following a ‘Dementia-Friendly’ Intervention: A Pre–Post Cohort Study |
| title_sort | changes in measures of dementia awareness in uk church congregations following a dementia friendly intervention a pre post cohort study |
| topic | Dementia-Friendly Church Alzheimer’s religion quantitative cohort study |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/11/7/337 |
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