Involving people with dementia Ethics of dementia research
Involving people with dementia in all aspects of research is
increasingly recognised as being essential to good dementia
research. Their involvement as research participants is of
paramount importance and recognised as a significant
contribution to society. This also reflects their value within
society and their equal right to participate in research.
However, research is no longer simply carried out “on” people
with dementia but also “with” them. They have a valuable
contribution to make to the selection of research topics, the
design of studies, issues related to recruitment and those
linked to the interpretations and dissemination of the results.
This involvement again reflects their value and is recognition
that having dementia means possessing certain knowledge and
experience that researchers are interested in learning about. It
also reflects changing perceptions within society about people
with dementia and the practice of social inclusion. As p