The stigma of dementia and the media: An analysis of reality shows about older people with dementia running a pop-up restaurant

It has been argued that older people living with dementia often experience stigma. Several media interventions have been designed to raise public awareness about dementia, as well as to de-stigmatise the condition and people living with it; however, few studies have investigated how media interventions may serve to reduce stigma. The present study focused on a Chinese reality show, Forget Me Not Café, which brought together five older people (aged 65 and older) living with dementia to run a pop-up restaurant and intended to reduce the stigma of dementia. The study aimed to explore how the reality show cast talk (or write) about dementia in older people. This study performed a thematic analysis on the written and spoken content about how the show presented dementia in older people. Four discursive themes were identified, including: age as a risk factor for dementia; early signs and symptoms of dementia in older people; the pressure on the family of people with dementia; and expectations of people living with dementia. The findings of this study show that the views of the reality show cast highlight the capability of older people with dementia to communicate effectively and live with the condition, their personal goals of sustaining a happy, meaningful, and sociable life, and the actions they took to positively influence personal circumstances. The findings also indicate that this reality show might help reduce the stigma of dementia and empower older people living with dementia, while it also tends to stress the responsibility for care on family carers and shift the responsibility of managing the dementia-related challenges to older people living with dementia. These suggest a neoliberal tenet of personal responsibility for health in China. Given the media's role in reflecting and shaping perceptions and attitudes towards dementia and people living with it, this study contributes to a greater understanding of the ways in which reality shows can be used to promote awareness and challenge the stigma of dementia and arguably other conditions.