Introduction

This chapter discusses the process of developing collaborative working relationships with rural- dwelling older men with dementia in the UK. This population warrants further exploration in its own right, as often facilitators do not acknowledge and address the issues that can be specific to it, resulting in increased risks of social isolation and poorer health outcomes. The chapter outlines the potential challenges that can be encountered when seeking to engage this hard- to- reach group as well as solutions to address them. The lessons considered throughout the chapter are underpinned by theoretical knowledge and have been informed by reflexive practice through research that has sought to enhance social inclusion in rural- dwelling older men with dementia using a technological initiative. This will be discussed in more detail later in the chapter. While there were many challenges throughout this applied research, some of which will be examined later, the initiatives were warmly received by the men and successfully adopted within all three rural communities. They continue to this day, four years after the completion of the study, with funding obtained from local organisations, thereby highlighting their success.

Prior to discussing the lessons learned for successful collaboration with rural- dwelling older men with dementia, it is necessary to situate them within the wider context of the dementia- care field as well as provide an overview of the technological initiative that helped to inform them.

Context: why is there a need to better understand how to support community- dwelling older men with dementia?

Some current political and academic discourses highlight the importance of community initiatives for ensuring a cost- effective means to support the wellbeing (Kenigsberg et al, 2016; ADI, 2017, 2018) and psychological needs (Nyman and Szymczynska, 2016) of people living with dementia. For these initiatives to be successful, it is important that people with dementia are engaged as collaborators throughout their design, implementation and delivery, thereby ensuring that the outcomes are meaningful to them (Øksnebjerg et al, 2018). Despite this, research has consistently demonstrated the reluctance of older men (65 years and over) more generally, as well as those with dementia, to engage with traditional health and social care initiatives, thereby increasing their risk of isolation, social exclusion and poorer health outcomes (White, 2011; White et al, 2011; Milligan et al, 2015).