Working in partnership with family carers: the importance of learning from carers' experiences

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss professionals working in partnership with family carers and the importance of learning from their experiences in designing and delivering support to themselves and people with dementia.Design/methodology/approach – Working in partnership with carers is a key goal of policy and practice. This paper demonstrates how this can work in practice.Findings – Key issues are synthesized, drawing on the stories of three carers who shared their stories as part of the original conference workshop on which the paper is based.Originality/value – Lessons for professionals about the nature of the dementia caring journey and dimensions of good practice are highlighted.