Simon Burrow

Post graduate education in dementia care is delivered by a number of academic institutions worldwide. Aimed primarily at people in advanced and specialised roles in health and social care, it is designed to develop the knowledge and skills to advance practice and lead to positive changes and benefits to people living with dementia and their social networks. However, undertaking Master’s level education can be challenging, particularly when this is undertaken alongside full-time work and family/domestic commitments. To illuminate this student experience further, this paper takes a case study approach to explore the experiences of three students who have successfully completed a Master’s programme in dementia care in the North West of England. Their individual and collective experiences highlight the challenges of juggling competing demands and the dynamic processes of navigating the student journey and continually negotiating supports in order to successfully complete the course. The study highlights important implications for the design and supportive structures within post graduate Master’s education in dementia care/studies, and potentially in other subject areas also, in order to support students’ transition to post graduate study.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the findings from an electronic questionnaire survey which set out to explore experiences of graduates of a part-time Master’s programme in dementia care at The University of Manchester. Design/methodology/approach: An electronic questionnaire survey was sent to 57 graduates who had studied on the programme since it began in 2003. Thematic analysis was applied to qualitative data from responses to six open-ended questions. Findings: In total, 31 completed questionnaires were received. Four key themes were identified from the qualitative data: juggling competing demands; experiencing personal growth and achievement; locating sources of support; and supporting changes to practice. Research limitations/implications: Limitations included the small sample size and the survey not covering the experiences of students who had failed to complete the first year of study. Originality/value: The study demonstrates the perceived value of dementia education at more advanced levels for people working in professional roles in dementia care, this included professional and personal development and supporting changes to practice. The study additionally adds to a limited evidence base relating to how mature, health and social care students experience part-time study in higher education and has implications for future research aimed at informing the development of appropriate course design and employer support.

Technologies have the capacity to be enabling or disabling for people who are living with dementia. Accessible information is required to equip people to make informed decisions about what technologies are available and how they may be utilised to support independence. This article describes the development of a web-based resource called ATdementia which was designed to provide independent information on assistive technologies for people who are living with dementia. It was designed to be accessed by people with dementia, families, supporters and professionals. The article describes the development and the early operation of ATdementia. Mention is also made of the ATguide, a self assessment tool to support decision-making in relation to technologies. ATguide was launched in 2012.