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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Andrea Mayrhofer
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
© The Author(s) 2022. Objectives: In the context of a growing number of dementia friendly communities (DFCs) globally, a need remains for robust evaluation, and for tools to capture relevant evidence. This paper reports the development of a suite of evaluation resources for DFCs through a national study in England. Methods: Fieldwork took place in six diverse case study sites across England. A mixed methods design was adopted that entailed documentary analysis, focus groups, interviews, observations, and a survey. Participants were people affected by dementia and practice-based stakeholders. A national stakeholder workshop was held to obtain input beyond the research sites. A workshop at the end of the study served to check the resonance of the findings and emerging outputs with stakeholders from the case study DFCs. Results: The study had three key outputs for the evaluation of DFCs: First, an evaluation framework that highlights thematic areas to be considered in evaluating DFCs. Second, a Theory of Change that presents inputs into a DFC and short, medium and longer term outcomes. Third, a matrix for assessing a DFC’s degree of maturity, which enables a sense of the kinds of outcomes a DFC might realistically aspire to. These three outputs form a suite of interlinking and complementary evaluation resources for DFCs. Conclusions: The study has contributed evidence-based resources for monitoring and evaluation that complement existing frameworks. They can be applied to arrive at a detailed assessment of how well a DFC works for people affected by dementia, and at insights into the underlying factors that can guide future policy and practice.
Author(s): Buckner S, Lafortune L, Darlington N, Dickinson A, Killett A, Mathie E, Mayrhofer A, Woodward M, Goodman C
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Dementia
Year: 2022
Volume: 21
Issue: 8
Pages: 2381-2401
Print publication date: 01/11/2022
Online publication date: 06/09/2022
Acceptance date: 31/07/2022
Date deposited: 20/10/2022
ISSN (print): 1471-3012
ISSN (electronic): 1741-2684
Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/14713012221106634
DOI: 10.1177/14713012221106634
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