Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors

Area of Science:

• Social Network Analysis in Dementia Care
• Multi-stakeholder Collaboration Dynamics
• Dementia Research and Advocacy Networks

Background:

• Walking the Talk for Dementia (WTD) 2024 aimed to enhance multi-stakeholder collaborations in dementia research, care, and advocacy.
• The event provided networking opportunities through activities like a 40 km walk on the Camino de Santiago, a formal symposium, and informal gatherings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the formation and characteristics of social networks and collaborations among WTD participants.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of WTD in fostering connections for dementia research, care, and advocacy.

Main Methods:

• Social network analysis (SNA) was employed to map and visualize participant connections before and after the WTD event.
• Pre- and post-surveys collected data on participant relationships (knowing, personal connection, planned/current collaboration) and collaboration types.
• Network metrics such as centrality, closeness, and betweenness were calculated, supplemented by qualitative reflections.

Main Results:

• Sixty-two participants completed social network surveys, with preliminary analysis identifying key individuals within the network.
• Social networks demonstrated connections transcending participant roles (clinician, person with dementia, advocate) and geographic regions.
• Participants reported establishing new connections and planning future collaborations focused on advocacy, education, and research.

Conclusions:

• The WTD event successfully achieved its objective of promoting multi-stakeholder collaborations in the dementia community.
• A significant number of participants engaged in active or planned collaborations, indicating the event's impact on network development.
• Future research will track the evolution of these networks and expand the analysis to include participants from previous WTD events.