ABSTRACT
Person-centred approaches have transformed thinking and practice within the field of dementia care. Indeed person-centredness has become firmly embedded within policy and professional discourse and is the watchword for quality within service provision. In this chapter we rightly laud the contribution that person-centred thinking and practice has made to the field but wish to explore still further the boundaries these notions may have when considering the contribution made by people with dementia to care and social encounters. We make us of the “senses” framework as a means to open up questions relating to reciprocity, interdependence, integration and exchange, arguing that the contribution made by people with dementia is still not placed centre stage within organisational values and practices. We conclude with a developed version of the “senses” framework that uses community and contribution as a space for discussion. This further iteration of the “sense” framework highlights a set of organisational goals which are aimed at maximising integration and contribution to community life that can be made by care staff and families, but also of people with dementia themselves.
