Engagement with a diverse Stakeholder Advisory Council for research in dementia care

Abstract

Plain English summary Involving stakeholders in research about dementia care is recognized as an important approach to develop findings that are relevant to individuals living with dementia, family care partners, and health and social professionals in dementia care. Still, this approach is not often used and there is a need for more information about how researchers can engage stakeholders in the research process and the impact of engagement from the perspectives of stakeholders. In this paper, we describe how a mixed group of stakeholders was engaged for a project to identify priorities for dementia care research and their perspectives of the experience. A Stakeholder Advisory Council (SAC) worked together to develop their skills in research and connected with their communities to determine what is most important to be studied in the field of dementia care research. To understand the perspectives of the stakeholders involved in this project, we conducted individual interviews with members of the SAC. This study will help researchers understand how they can collaborate with stakeholders in dementia care and the benefits of including individuals living with dementia, family care partners, and professional stakeholders in the research process.

Keywords

• Engagement
• Stakeholders
• Dementia
• Caregivers
• Research
• Council