Walking the talk for dementia: building social networks and collaborations

Dementia is one of the greatest global health challenges requiring multimodal efforts to address its impact on people and societies. Walking the Talk for Dementia (WTD) is a unique global initiative designed to challenge the stigma that surrounds dementia, foster intergenerational dialogue, build a community, and inspire a renewed sense of purpose among participants. A social network analysis (SNA) was conducted to provide greater detail and contextualization of the connections made during WTD and insights into the collaborations that arose from this immersive event which may influence dementia policy, care, and services. A robust, comprehensive, and minimally intrusive evaluation was created in 2024 to capture the results, outcomes, and impacts of WTD 2024. This mixed methods research examined the experiences of the WTD 2024 participants, 79 of whom consented to participate in this research. Pre- and post-surveys collected quantitative and qualitative data (94% and 87% response rates), and were augmented by 95 written, audio, or video reflections. To further investigate the social network of the larger WTD community, a follow-up survey was sent six months after WTD 2024 to the 2024 participants plus the additional 40 participants from WTD 2023. Quantitative survey data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics; qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis to identify core aspects and common themes of the experience. A social network analysis (SNA) was used to visualize and quantify connections between participants of WTD. Results from the SNA analyses illustrate the development of multiple new connections and collaborations among WTD participants. The results also point to how connections and collaborations among participants that existed prior to WTD 2024 may have changed as a result of WTD. Connections appear to have increased post-WTD. A community developed among WTD participants, who are a multi-disciplinary, global group of professionals and people with lived experience of dementia. This analysis provides evidence of the benefits of social connections for individuals living with dementia and their care partners with other dementia advocates. These findings are important to future advancement of dementia awareness, advocacy, and policy change.