Everyday Citizenship and People with Dementia

An edited volume discussing the underpinning concepts of citizenship, agency, and participation in the context of the everyday lives of people living with a dementia. The editors explain the theoretical underpinning of citizenship before the contributors show the way it can broaden the everyday lives of people with dementia.

Everyday Citizenship and People with Dementia prioritises the ordinary lives of people with dementia, and thereby broadens the agenda towards everyday citizenship.  The contributors bring to the fore the idea that a person living with dementia has multiple opinions, identities and a stake in society. 

The notion of everyday citizenship is used to shift the focus away from care settings and diagnostic and post-diagnostic support - all of which are important, of course - to the ‘normal’ everyday routines and settings of a person’s life.  The notion of citizenship is mobilised within a range of contexts from dealing with the welfare system to living and being a part of a neighbourhood.  Each chapter focuses on everyday citizenship from the perspective of people living with dementia and shows how citizenship is a necessity for a vibrant, inclusive society.  The discussion is informed by empirically based work and authored by experts from different parts of the world, including Canadian and Scots citizens who are living with dementia.  The stress, throughout the book, is that the everyday and mundane is not only important in a practical sense but also in a political one. The book is thus for all interested in current debates about equality and the rights of people with dementia.