The Power of Sheffield Journeys: developing meaningful engagement through film and digital media

The power of Sheffield journeys: exploring the potential of film and digital media for the meaningful engagement of older people and people with dementia At present it is estimated that globally 47.5 million people have dementia (Alzheimer’s Disease International 2015). At present emphasis has therefore been placed on the development of approaches and interventions that focus on quality of life and strategies to equip individuals to cope with the challenges that living with this long-term condition brings. Creating potential solutions to enable individuals to live in the home environment, to continue to connect with and contribute to the communities of which they are a-part and to engage in meaningful activities is a priority if people are to be supported to live well with dementia. The ‘Power of Sheffield Journeys’ utilizes film and video elicitation to explore the potential of film and digital technology in helping older people and people with dementia to re-connect with meaningful journeys and to build community connectedness. The practice development has sought to understand how the arts (most notably film and photography) can promote social inclusion of marginalized groups by placing people with dementia as experts in the filming. Sixty older people and people with dementia have engaged in the project to co-design a series of films that bring meaningful journeys to life again. These films are currently being used to stimulate and capture further rich oral histories relating to memorable journeys and key points of interest in the city's history. The films are challenging some of the pre-conceptions surrounding the condition and what people with dementia can achieve.