Making and maintaining neighbourhood connections when living alone with dementia

This chapter tackles the report findings of Neighbourhoods: Our People, Our Places (N: OPOP) based on the experiences of people living alone with dementia from Greater Manchester, Scotland and Sweden. It also examines a subset of data from the N: OPOP project of people living alone with dementia establishing social networks and relationships in a neighbourhood context. Multiple data-collection methods were used such as semi-structured interviews, walking interviews, guided home tours and social network mapping, which were conducted with fourteen community-dwelling people living alone with dementia situated across the three international study sites. Thematic analysis revealed four main themes: making the effort to stay connected, befriending by organisations and facilitated friendships, the quiet neighbourhood atmosphere, and changing social connections. Moreover, the analysis suggests that people living alone with dementia were active agents that took control of finding and maintaining relationships and social networks in a lived neighbourhood. The findings indicate the need to raise awareness on policy, practice and creative ways to connect.