Risk: Constructing care and care environments in dementia

Abstract

Inherent in the notion of risk is the probability of an adverse event. However, recognising an event as adverse is subject to differing interpretations and is located in the knowledge base used. For dementia care, this has several implications for practice because of the differential knowledge of practitioners, family carers and people with dementia. Data from a study about the meanings of caring for a person with dementia are used to analyse the impact of knowledge on the construction of risk, the consequent nature of care and the location of that care.