Using Appreciative Inquiry to challenge stigmatising language about people living with dementia

There is a lack of evidence regarding how healthcare workers and other people act upon anti-stigma perspectives of people living with dementia. Appreciative Inquiry was used to support four younger people living with dementia in Wales, UK to identify visions of a stigma-free world and design a film about their findings. This film was shared with four family members/caregivers, seven healthcare workers and six lay people. Positioning theory was applied to observe if the film impacted on language about dementia. Thematic analysis identified four themes (Belonging, Able, Supported, Dementia Unseen), providing a framework to illustrate whether language became aligned to the film’s vision. Family members/caregivers changed their discourse regarding the need for meaning in people’s lives but remained focussed on the diagnosis over the person. Healthcare workers saw minor changes as their discourse remained dominated by their perspectives of working with people living with advanced dementia. Lay people were empowered to align their discourse to the perspectives from the film. Appreciative Inquiry is a valuable methodology to explore positive experiences to generate ideas to promote equity. Findings suggest anti-stigma interventions require tailoring based on stakeholders’ prior experiences with dementia to effectively promote health equity.