ABSTRACT
The way in which people with dementia experience disempowerment is well documented (Goldsmith 1996; Kitwood 1997; Parker and Penhale 1998), and assumptions that they are not capable of making decisions or choices are commonplace. When people with dementia are not viewed as autonomous individuals, there is less opportunity for their own views and choices about care services and everyday life to be expressed. It is not only the illness that reduces control and influence for those affected – people with dementia experience a double disadvantage. First, dementia is frequently associated with old age. A person with dementia is therefore further challenged by the negative stereotypes, images and attitudes towards older people that prevail in an ageist society (Bartlett and Martin 2000). Second, a dominant view of disability as a personal tragedy can permeate many social policies and social interactions for the person with dementia (Oliver 1990). It is therefore not only the diagnosis of dementia that ‘leads to lack of control and influence, but the attitude of others’ (Parker and Penhale 1998, p. 203).
