30min workshop: Supporting people with young onset dementia and family members to retain/rebuild identity after diagnosis
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Charles Hallé Room |
Jan Oyebode
Professor of Dementia Care
University of Bradford
Louise Ritchie
Professor in Dementia Research
University of West Scotland
Summary
We express our identity in many ways, including through our employment, relationships and family roles, our appearance, wider societal contributions. However, a diagnosis of young onset dementia can challenge our sense of identity, due to the impact of symptoms and also because of external responses to dementia. Hosted by the Young Dementia Network, this workshop combines perspectives of people with lived experience of young onset dementia and their family members with contemporary research findings. We will explore how young onset dementia impacts identity in various settings and make recommendations on how to better support people to retain or rebuild their sense of identity post diagnosis. The session will conclude by discussing how focusing on identity in young onset dementia can not only improve wellbeing and quality of life of those with the condition and family members but also challenge how we view young onset dementia as a society.