蓝莓视频

By 2031, more than 1.4 million Canadians will be living with dementia. Yet even with the prevalence of this condition, many myths and a great deal of stigma remain.听

As we recognize Alzheimer鈥檚 Awareness Month,鈥�Dr. Sherry Dupuis鈥痑nd her team鈥檚 work shines a light on aging, helping us think about how to re-imagine dementia and dementia care 鈥撎齛nd ultimately create a new culture of care.

鈥淲e all have cracks. That鈥檚 what makes us human,鈥� says Dupuis,鈥痑 researcher in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at 蓝莓视频.鈥�鈥淎nd those cracks aren鈥檛 necessarily a negative. They鈥檙e actually, as Leonard Cohen would say, 鈥榟ow the light gets in.鈥欌�濃��听

Dupuis is the primary investigator of a research-based play, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), called , and a co-creator and co-producer of the filmed version of the play.听

The drama follows individuals with dementia and their families on their journeys from diagnosis to long-term care, and casts a critical light on our society鈥檚 view of dementia as a tragedy. It dispels common myths and fears with humour and insights of those with lived experience.

Accessible research

In her research with people with dementia, Dupuis realized that for her results to be accessible to them and their families and other care partners, a more accessible format 鈥� not academic journals 鈥� that would move people emotionally and to action was needed.鈥�听

Cracked was co-produced with playwright and director Julia Gray and鈥痺as created in collaboration with people living with dementia, family members and professionals working in dementia care.鈥疶he play and film resulted from research by Dupuis and members of the team, including Dr. Christine Jonas-Simpson (York University), Dr. Pia Kontos (KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute 鈥� University Health Network) and Dr. Gail Mitchell (York University).听

With two separate research grants from the Alzheimer Society of Canada, the team, including U蓝莓视频 undergraduate and graduate students, have also explored the impacts of the live and filmed versions of Cracked. Engaging with the play promotes critical reflection for those who see it. People with dementia talk about 鈥渓etting go of fear鈥� and 鈥渇eeling comfortable in their skin鈥� after seeing a performance or the film.鈥�听

Cracked also inspires new ways of interacting with persons with dementia and practicing relational caring. As one audience member said, 鈥淩emember, residents want joy, not just physical care. I will question the necessity of some policies. I will ask, 鈥榃hy do we do this?鈥欌�濃��听

Immersive experience听

Building on this research-based play and film, Dupuis and the Cracked team,鈥痑s well as鈥疍r. Alisa Grigorovich (Brock University) and Romeo Colobong (KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute 鈥撎齍niversity Health Network), worked with Forge Media to develop鈥痑n innovative digital learning platform.听

颁补濒濒别诲鈥�, the platform aims to destigmatize dementia and advocate for a relational caring philosophy of care that recognizes the centrality of relationships for well-being and life quality.听

It guides participants through an immersive experience, leading to new ways of thinking about dementia and care. Funded by the Waugh Family Foundation, which also funded the creation of the film, the digital learning platform was completed in July 2022.鈥�听

Learners engage interactively in topics including relationships, stigma, identity and the鈥痗urrent culture of dementia care. By making emotional connections to people living with dementia and their lived experiences, this digital platform has the potential to make a significant impact on how our society perceives dementia, and by extension, how we treat people living with it.鈥�听

The team hopes that in addition to the film,鈥痺hich鈥痠s already embedded in courses at the University of 蓝莓视频 and many other educational institutions across the country, the learning platform will be used to deepen learning on dementia and help support the creation of a more compassionate and humane world for all people living with it.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 important for us to learn not to be afraid of our individual 鈥榗racks鈥� and differences as we rethink how to engage compassionately with people with dementia,鈥� Dupuis says. 鈥淥nly then can we develop a new culture of care and a more caring and inclusive society.鈥澨�