Journal article
Let the Good Times Grow: Exploring What is Important to Couples Living With Dementia Surrounding Leisure Activities
Dementia , Vol.25(6), pp.1268-1285
2026
PMCID: PMC13304914
PMID: 40905561
Abstract
Dementia is a cluster of disorders affecting a growing number of people around the world, with consequent disruption to the lives of those diagnosed and their loved ones. The impact of dementia on families has been widely documented; however, this is often done through the lens of caregiver burden. In contrast, the present research explores the wants and needs of couples living with dementia in terms of their shared leisure activities. Five Australians living with dementia and their partners participated in recorded semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of transcribed interviews produced four main themes and 15 subthemes highlighting this population's needs and values regarding leisure. Themes included, "increased awareness of how dyads spend their time", "awareness of dyadic changes within the relationship", "appreciation of fulfilling moments", and "person with dementia's engagement/activity moderation and support by care partner". The results support existing research including changes to relationship dynamics and lifestyle post-diagnosis. This research indicates the importance of leisure interventions that focus on improving socialisation for people with dementia and their partners and supports increased opportunities for quality time together.
Details
- Title
- Let the Good Times Grow: Exploring What is Important to Couples Living With Dementia Surrounding Leisure Activities
- Authors
- Hayley Bruce (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - PsychologyKris Tulloch - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - PsychologyNancy Pachana - The University of QueenslandTamara De Regt - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - PsychologyTheresa L Scott - The University of Queensland
- Publication details
- Dementia , Vol.25(6), pp.1268-1285
- Publisher
- Sage Publications Ltd.
- Date published
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.1177/14713012251376749
- ISSN
- 1741-2684
- PMID
- 40905561; PMC13304914
- Copyright note
- © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
- Data Availability
- The datasets generated and analysed during the current study are not publicly available to protect the privacy of participants, but are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
- Grant note
- This work was proudly supported by the AAG Research Trust’s Hal Kendig Research Development Program, NA.
- Organisation Unit
- Healthy Ageing Research Cluster; Thompson Institute; School of Health - Psychology
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991167245602621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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