You, me, us – Creating connection: Report on a program to support and empower couples to navigate the challenges of dementia (innovative practice)

Dementia support services have generally been directed either towards the person with dementia or towards the care partner; they rarely address the relational challenges to couplehood. This article describes the philosophy, aims and multimodal processes of the Creating Connection program, a six-session program run in 2017 which aimed to support and empower couples to navigate through the changes and challenges of dementia. The authors recommend this as a model for future programs. Such programs, especially when offered soon after a diagnosis of dementia, may steer couples away from pathways of "disintegration" and onto more positive pathways of "reconstruction".