Exercise #19
Designing a Dementia Awareness Campaign – Aging of the Population
Authors: Elena Rousou, Paraskevi Charitou, Panagiota Ellina
2 hours (2 × 60-minute sessions)
Description
In groups of 4–6, students act as public health teams and design a culturally sensitive dementia awareness campaign that reduces stigma and promotes understanding of dementia for older adults, caregivers, and the wider community.
Methodological Guide
Objectives
Analyse how dementia impacts older adults, families, and healthcare systems. Design a culturally sensitive awareness campaign that reduces stigma and promotes understanding of dementia. Develop clear, accessible health messages tailored for diverse communities, including older adults and their caregivers. Reflect on the role of health communication in promoting dignity, inclusion, and supportive care for people living with dementia.
Expected Outcomes
After completing the exercise, students should be able to: produce a dementia awareness campaign prototype; gain insight into respectful communication strategies for older adults; strengthen their understanding of dementia in multicultural public health and social contexts; recognise personal cultural assumptions and explore how these shape perceptions of dementia, aging, and health in society; engage in reflective practice to appreciate cultural diversity, cultivating openness and humility when addressing dementia-related issues; deepen understanding of cultural context by examining how beliefs, values, and traditions influence the way health information about dementia is interpreted, communicated, and acted upon in professional and community settings.
Exercise Procedure
Introduction: Present dementia campaign examples (good and bad). Ask students to think: 'Whose voices are missing in dementia awareness in your country?' Stage 1 — Message Sorting (15 minutes): Students sort 12 real campaign messages into three audience categories: older adults themselves, family caregivers, and community and healthcare workers. After sorting, groups compare their placements and discuss where they differed and why. Stage 2 — Cultural Adaptation (10 minutes): Each student picks one culture they know and adapts a single message to that culture's way of naming memory loss, elder respect, and family involvement. Discussion (15 minutes): 'How does stigma affect people living with dementia and their families?' 'What role can younger generations play in dementia awareness?' 'How should digital campaigns be adapted for older audiences?' Final Reflection (10–15 minutes): How do language, visuals, and cultural sensitivity influence the effectiveness of the campaign? What cultural assumptions or personal beliefs did you become aware of while working on or viewing the dementia campaigns? How will you use what you learned from this exercise in your future professional role when supporting older adults, families, and diverse communities?
Mode of Implementation
Group work (4–6 students).
Role of the Teacher
Provide campaign examples, resources, and highlight key pitfalls (e.g., fear-based messaging, ageism, stigma). Guide brainstorming and ensure messages are clear, respectful, and culturally appropriate. Facilitate presentations and peer review.
Theoretical Basis
The exercise is based on the principles of transformative learning: Disorienting Dilemma — students review examples of dementia campaigns or social media content that unintentionally stigmatise older adults (e.g., focusing only on deficits, frailty, or using fear-based messages and ageism). Critical Reflection — in small groups, students discuss why such campaigns fail, how media perpetuates ageism, and reflect on their own assumptions about dementia and aging. Dialogue and Action — students discuss how a dementia awareness campaign should emphasise respect, inclusion, and support for older people and families. Use of creative design tools (Canva, Poster My Wall, PowerPoint slides).
Practical Application
Students act as public health teams tasked with creating a dementia awareness campaign for a local community. The campaign must include: a visual element (poster, flyer, or social media post); three key messages written in plain, respectful language; an outreach plan (how to reach older adults, caregivers, and the wider community, e.g., health centres, churches, senior clubs, Facebook groups, local radio, TV channels).
Knowledge Transfer
Skills gained here can be transferred to other awareness campaigns (vaccination, healthy lifestyles). Students learn to balance professional knowledge with culturally sensitive communication.
Reinforcement & Reflection
Peer feedback: each group receives '2 positives + 1 suggestion' on their campaign. Teacher feedback highlights inclusivity, clarity, and sensitivity to aging.
Required Resources
Internet access and design software (Canva, Poster My Wall, PowerPoint). Examples of dementia awareness campaigns (effective and problematic). Flipchart and markers for brainstorming.
Assessment / Evaluation
Ask students to record a self-reflection in their reflective journal, for example: 'How can public campaigns change societal attitudes to dementia?' Peer review: each group gives '2 positives + 1 suggestion' on another group's campaign.
Practical Tips
Ensure campaigns use large fonts, high-contrast visuals, and simple messages. Encourage images that reflect dignity, not stereotypes. Use polling tools to vote on the 'Most Empowering Campaign.' Encourage creativity but stress that respect and accessibility matter more than aesthetics. Campaigns should empower, not frighten, audiences.
Discussion Topics
In some communities, dementia is medicalized; in others, it may be spiritualized or normalized as 'just aging.' How do these cultural views affect help-seeking behaviour? How can campaigns make messages accessible for people with low health literacy?
Stage 2 — Cultural adaptation
Pick one culture you know — your own, or a community you work with. Choose one of the 12 messages from Stage 1 and rewrite it so that it fits that culture's way of naming memory loss, expressing elder respect, and involving family. Write two or three sentences.
- Your culturally adapted message
Stage 2 — Cultural adaptation
Pick one culture you know — your own, or a community you work with. Choose one of the 12 messages from Stage 1 and rewrite it so that it fits that culture's way of naming memory loss, expressing elder respect, and involving family. Write two or three sentences.
- Your culturally adapted message
Further Resources
WHO: Global action plan on the public health response to dementia 2017–2025. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241513487 — Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI) facts and figures: https://www.alzint.org/about/dementia-facts-figures/ — Dementia UK campaigns: https://www.dementiauk.org/get-involved/campaigns/ — Cultural competence and dementia: https://www.cpcs.online/culture-more — Alzheimer's Research UK awareness campaigns: https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/about-us/how-we-do-it/our-awareness-campaigns/
Additional Remarks
Encourage creativity but stress that respect and accessibility matter more than aesthetics. Campaigns should empower, not frighten, audiences.