Relationship-Centered Dementia Care: Insights from a Community-Based Culture Change Coalition

This article reports on the work of a community-based culture change coalition affiliated with the Partnerships in Dementia Care Alliance, a research network committed to strengthening dementia care through supporting relationship-centered care approaches. Research to date emphasizes negative aspects of dementia care relationships. Drawing on data the culture change coalition collected as part of their culture change work using participatory action research guided by appreciative inquiry, this article examines what relationship qualities contributed to positive dementia care experiences and how positive relationships were created. Five types of care partners participated in the study through questionnaires, focus groups, and a mini appreciative inquiry summit. Data were analyzed collaboratively with culture change coalition members. Early in the analysis process, the aspiration statement "Relationships are at the heart of dementia care in [name of] County," was developed and informed further thematic analysis. Findings revealed several relationship characteristics including friendship, commonality of experience, developing trust and feeling appreciated, reciprocity, and taking time/making time for relationships. As this article illuminates, relationship-centered programs and policies have the potential to foster positive dementia care experiences among diverse care partners in community settings.