It all started with a green car … Exploring the meaning of happiness

The purpose of our project was to co-create a series of short films alongside people living with dementia exploring the meaning of happiness. Using film-making as a collaborative and shared decision-making approach, we explored how this method may be used to research other areas of collective interest. With populations ageing on a global scale and an increase in the number of people diagnosed with dementia (World Health Organization, 2017), participatory and creative methods are favoured approaches in dementia research to support inclusivity and mutuality. Another reason for making the videos was because they might be useful for changing negative and stereotyped perceptions in New Zealand about dementia.