Operationalising the Recovery College model with people living with dementia: a realist review

<p><b>Objectives</b></p> Post-diagnostic support is a significant factor in facilitating personal recovery following a diagnosis of dementia, but access is often inconsistent and insufficient. Recovery Colleges offer peer-led, co-produced courses that can support people to ha...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Handley, M, Wheeler, C, Duddy, C, Wong, G, Birt, L, Fox, C, Moniz-Cook, E, Hackmann, C, Teague, B, West, J
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Routledge 2024
Description
Summary:<p><b>Objectives</b></p> Post-diagnostic support is a significant factor in facilitating personal recovery following a diagnosis of dementia, but access is often inconsistent and insufficient. Recovery Colleges offer peer-led, co-produced courses that can support people to have meaningful lives and have been adapted for use in the context of dementia. A realist review was conducted to understand the application and sustainability of Recovery College dementia courses. <p><b>Method</b></p> An iterative, five-step process combined literature published to 2023 with knowledge from stakeholders with lived and professional experience of dementia involved with Recovery College dementia courses (PROSPERO registration CRD42021293687). <p><b>Results</b></p> Thirty-five documents and discussions with 19 stakeholders were used to build the initial programme theory comprising of 24 context-mechanism-outcome configurations. Reoccurring factors included: attending to aspects of co-production and course delivery to ensure they promoted inclusion and were not compromised by organisational pressures; how stigma impacted access to course opportunities; and embedding personal recovery principles throughout course development to be relevant for people living with dementia and those who support them. <p><b>Conclusion</b></p> People struggling to reconcile their future alongside dementia need practical and emotional support to access and benefit from Recovery College dementia courses, ways to achieve this will be explored through a realist evaluation.