BU Research Blog

Congratulations to Dr. Shanti Farrington, Principal Academic in Psychology, on the publication of her latest paper ‘The impact of cultural practice and policy on dementia care in Nepal‘ [1].  This paper in the international journal BMC Geriatrics reminds us that our wider culture plays a vital role in both dementia care and policy.  This study explored the cultural practice and policy influence around caring for People Living with Dementia (PLWD) in Nepal.   It comprised four in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions with 29 participants, including family members, health care professionals, and other stakeholders. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

This qualitative research resulted in four major themes (each with several sub-themes): 1. Cultural practice in dementia care; 2. Impact of policy on the dementia care; 3. Service provision; and 4. Education and training.  The authors conclude that is a need for community-based awareness raising on dementia and its care, to sensitize all relevant stakeholders to meet the needs of PLWD. In addition, capacity building of health workforce is needed to enhance their knowledge of and skills around dementia care.

The lead author is Dr. Bibha Simkhada, formerly in BU’s Department of Nursing Sciences, and currently based in the School of Human and Health Sciences at the University of Huddersfield.  Further co-authors are Pallavi Simkhada, PhD student at the University of Edinburgh, Sanju Thapa Magar, based at Aging Nepal and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, in BU’s Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health.

Reference:

1. Simkhada, B., Magar, S.T., Simkhada, P., Farrington, S., van Teijlingen, E. (2024) The impact of cultural practice and policy on dementia care in Nepal, BMC Geriatrics24, 842 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-024-05438-8