What the eye don't see, the heart don't grieve: social workers' understanding and perception of the dementia care needs of African Caribbean elders in Wales

Hadaway-Morgan, Kemba 2025. What the eye don't see, the heart don't grieve: social workers' understanding and perception of the dementia care needs of African Caribbean elders in Wales. PhD Thesis, Cardiff Unicerity. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

This thesis explores the intersections of three important contemporary issues in social work practice in Wales: race, ethnicity and dementia. There is limited evidence on the processes and structures involved in shaping social workers’ understanding and perception of the dementia care needs of African Caribbean Elders (ACE). Drawing on a critical realist philosophical framework and informed by theories of critical race and intersectionality, this thesis addresses the gap in social work research by exploring how social workers understand and perceive the care needs of ACE with dementia. Fourteen semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted within a case study approach. Participants range from senior practitioners, social workers, social work assistants, to third sector leaders from local authorities across South Wales. Thematic analysis identified four key themes from the data: The use and pursuit of an outcomes framework; Needs based on culture; The inclusion mirage; Anti-racist Praxis or Customised Universalism? The use of an outcomes-focused framework negated consideration of race or ethnicity. Culture was perceived as unique to Black minority ethnic groups, suggesting that White practitioners did not examine aspects of their own culture as cultural expressions. Practice was perceived as inclusive because of approaches based on relationship building, multiculturalism and colour-blindness. Advocacy, social justice, and deconstructing stereotypes were perceived as necessary social work roles when supporting persons from Black minority backgrounds, but not as part of the universal social work mandate that can be tailored when supporting marginalised groups. There was no explicit linkage of these roles to anti-racist practice. This study contributes to the wider social work scholarship of practice with ACE with dementia by highlighting the importance of critical reflection and the adoption of an anti-racist lens to ensure practitioners are equipped to navigate the challenges of understanding and supporting the nuanced needs of ACE with dementia.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	18 December 2025
Last Modified:	18 Dec 2025 15:50
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/183353

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