Using documentary films to teach nurses about gender and the vulnerabilities facing older men with advanced dementia

Abstract

Aims and objectives: to review short documentary films about older men with advanced dementia to use in teaching, and therein address the gender imbalance in the dementia care curricula and create opportunities to learn about masculine vulnerability.

Background: there has been a growing recognition of the role of gender in respect of vulnerability, with emerging evidence suggesting a need to acknowledge and prioritise dementia as a global women's health issue. Whilst a focus on women is understandable—more women are affected by dementia than men—gender does not equal women. It is important for nursing students, nurses and allied health professionals to understand the vulnerabilities facing older men with dementia as well, including gay men, who may face additional challenges.

Design: discursive paper outlining the limitations of using mainstream fiction films in dementia care education and reviewing three short documentary films about older men with advanced dementia to use in teaching.

Methods: we summarised the literature on using films in nurse education and review three short documentary films about older men with advanced dementia and their (male) caregivers in the context of international nursing standards and concept of vulnerability.

Conclusions: education is key to understanding and improving the lived experience of dementia. Our article endorses the use of films in the classroom but highlights that mainstream fiction films about people (women) with dementia are not always appropriate for pedagogic purposes. Our review of three short documentary films on older men with advanced dementia uncovers an untapped teaching resource for care educators.

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ORCID for Ruth Bartlett: orcid.org/0000-0002-3412-2300

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