Creating an Ethnodrama to Catalyze Dialogue in Home-Based Dementia Care

Abstract

This article describes the development of a theater script derived from a critical ethnographic study that followed people living with dementia—and their family and professional caregivers—over an 18-month period. Analysis of the ethnographic data yielded four themes that characterized home-based dementia care relationships: managing care resources, making care decisions, evaluating care practices, and reifying care norms. The research team expanded to include a colleague with playwright experience, who used these themes to write a script. A theater director was included to cast and direct the play, and finally, a videography company filmed the actors on a realistic set. To contribute to the qualitative health research and the research-based theater knowledge translation literatures, this article describes and explains the creative decisions taken as part of our effort to disseminate research focused on home-based dementia care in a way that catalyzes and fosters critical (actionable) dialogue.