Lisa Goodman, Head of Mental Health Services at Age UK Leicester Shire and Rutland, shares why learning by doing — through reflective practice, shared problem-solving and everyday experience — is one of the most powerful ways to build confident, inclusive dementia care.
Working in dementia care and training others in Leicestershire, a county rich in ethnic and cultural diversity, has taught me more than any textbook ever could. It’s the real-life experiences, not just my own but those shared by the communities I’ve worked with, that have truly shaped how I deliver training. It’s not enough to just understand dementia from a clinical perspective, we also need to appreciate how it’s perceived and experienced in different communities. I feel the best method of learning about dementia is to speak to people affected by dementia, to see dementia as they experience it. Through this, I’ve come to understand how deeply culture, stigma, and health inequalities can influence not only people’s experiences of dementia but also their willingness and ability to seek help. I realised early on that for our training to be meaningful, it had to be culturally relevant, co-produced and rooted in real lived experience.
From years of listening and learning, the content I teach aims to gently address cultural stigmas around memory loss and dementia, while remaining culturally appropriate and respectful. This not only provides information about dementia, but also practical advice. By helping people understand where to seek support before reaching a crisis point, we can empower people with the knowledge and confidence to take early action. This can help to reduce health inequalities as people will be more aware of what support is available and have the knowledge of what to do next.
Through long-term relationship building, in the last two years I have trained 10 groups who are now driving change in their own communities including Somali, South Asian, Bangladeshi community and African & Caribbean communities. It has been inspiring to watch confidence and enthusiasm grow, with many groups starting up their own memory café or local support network.
Also, for the last 4 years the service has run Chai & Nashto- a social group tailored for those identifying as South Asian. Facilitated by staff and volunteers speaking Gujarati, Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu, it has been great to see this group unite people from different faiths and giving people a non-judgmental space to speak about their experiences of living with dementia.
Another highlight is our partnership with the EAGA Gospel Choir to create Kumbukumbu, a Music and Memories group tailored for the Black African and Caribbean community. Joining a choir can offer profound benefits for people living with dementia, enhancing both mood and mental stimulation. It engages multiple areas of the brain, helping to improve cognitive function and boost overall wellbeing.
At the same time, for my own team’s training and development, I still strongly believe in the importance of traditional, classroom-based training. Staff need space away from the pressures of work to reflect and grow. I have found that facilitating group discussions around real life scenarios that incorporate factors around culture and sexuality are a powerful way to deepen understanding.
So, if you’re thinking about embedding learning-by-doing into your own dementia services, my advice is simple: make equity, equality, diversity, and inclusion central to everything you do. It’s not a side project, it’s the foundation.
