Rising to the Challenge: How can we make air travel more accessible for people living with dementia across Europe and beyond

Society is gradually recognising and responding to the fact that people living with dementia wish to remain actively involved in meaningful activities post diagnosis. However, despite advocacy from a range of organisations, including the Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge within the United Kingdom, there are still improvements required in a range of settings to enable accessibility for those living with dementia. One such area that has received attention for not meeting the needs of people living with dementia is air travel. Whilst European legislation covering inclusivity in flying for those with disabilities already exists, it appears that such legislation is potentially interpreted in favour of those with physical, rather than ‘hidden’, disabilities; a term used to encompass not just dementia but also autism, learning disabilities and others, reducing access for these groups. This presentation will provide an overview of an ongoing PhD study that aims to capture the air travel experiences of people with dementia and their travel companions. Ultimately this research seeks to increase participation in air travel for this consumer group and to address the potential injustice of non-participation due to factors outside an individual’s control. Preliminary findings from face to face interviews with participants will be shared to illustrate how a diagnosis of dementia may affect a person’s meaningful engagement with the occupation of air travel and thus impact on their quality of life. In the longer term the results of this study will inform guidelines for the aviation industry on how they can support people living with dementia in the future.