Time for Dementia: an innovation in education

Abstract

This paper describes an innovative undergraduate educational initiative called the Time for Dementia programme. It was developed to improve the knowledge, attitudes and skills in dementia among healthcare students. Time for Dementia involves pairs of healthcare students (medical, paramedic, adult and mental health nursing, and allied health professionals) visiting a person with dementia and their carer in their homes over a period of 2 years. The aim of the programme is to enable students to learn with people with dementia and their carers—recognising that people with dementia have unique expertise derived from their experiences. Their personal narratives offer students a unique insight into the subjective experiences of dementia.