University of Calgary to host exhibition addressing dementia stigma

What stories come to mind when we hear the word dementia? 

For Dr. Jasmine Hwang, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Nursing, that question became increasingly important during her doctoral research at the University of Calgary. 

Her PhD research explored access to nonpharmacological interventions for people living with mild to moderate dementia. She initially focused on practical barriers: service availability, referrals, waitlists and fragmented care. As she listened to people living with dementia and their care partners, she began noticing another barrier: the stories society tells about dementia. 

“If stigma is reinforced through everyday conversations and cultural stories, then changing it cannot happen only through academic journals and conferences,” says Hwang, BN'09, MN'13, PhD'25. “It requires all of us.” 

Dementia is commonly portrayed through loss, decline, dependency and tragedy. While these experiences are real, Hwang’s research and community encounters revealed other stories as well: stories of adaptation, relationships, humour, creativity, resilience, meaning, continued participation in life and even new possibilities. 

This research inspired Taking It to the Streets: Stories of Resilience, Connection, and Living Well with Dementia, a free public exhibition taking place Sept. 26–29 at UCalgary’s The Little Gallery. 

The initiative brings together people living with dementia, families, artists, researchers and community organizations to address a complex and deeply rooted problem: the stigma towards dementia. Rather than assuming that any one discipline or organization holds the solution, the exhibition unites the many communities involved with dementia care and asks what might become possible when communities work collectively — and creatively — to change the stories surrounding cognitive impairment and life with dementia. 

The exhibition features stories, photographs, poetry, artwork and videos contributed by people living with dementia, family and friend care partners, and community members. Hwang’s doctoral research also moves beyond traditional academic spaces through participant quotations, found poetry and other creative forms of knowledge mobilization. 

Hwang says the aim is not to replace difficult stories with positive ones or minimize the realities of dementia. Rather, it is to broaden cultural understanding by making room for experiences that are too often overlooked or unheard, like those existing outside of pharmacological interventions or standard health-care settings. 

In a recent International Journal of Nursing Student Scholarship article, "Reimagining Dementia Care Beyond the Academy: A Reflexive Doctoral Journey in Nursing Scholarship," Hwang describes dementia stigma as more than negative attitudes. The language and stories surrounding dementia can shape what society expects from people after diagnosis, whose experiences are taken seriously, and even what kinds of care and support we imagine are possible. 

For Hwang,Taking It to the Streets brings the university and broader Calgary community together and sparks a collective effort to challenge a stigma that has been embedded in society for generations. The exhibition and the work surrounding it is a lived example of the values she learnt at UCalgary; developing problem-solving skills while locating community at the centre of what you do. 

The exhibition is more than an opportunity to view art or research. It is a quiet call to action to encounter different stories, join the conversation and help imagine dementia differently. 

Taking It to the Streets is a collaborative initiative involving Reimagining Dementia, Alberta Gerontological Nurses Association, and community partners. 

The exhibition will open at 10 a.m. on Sept. 26 and kick off with  Opening Conversation: Reimagining Dementia. Attendees can then explore the exhibit and participate in activities before reception starts at 3 p.m. for continued conversation.