Abstract:
Culture determines how members of society think and feel: it directs their actions and defines their
outlook on life. Not much is known about the dementia perceptions and care giving workers experiences in Nigeria
amidst cultural misgivings of their heritage. To seek solution to this gap in knowledge, this study explores a
qualitative method to understand the dementia perceptions of some Nigerian social work students who were
fulfilling their internship scheme as well as workers working as paid dementia caregivers in some private homes
and missionary owned old people’s homes in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria and to determine the potential for
continued employment post-diagnosis. Ten case studies focused on persons with dementia who were still in
employment or had left in the previous 5 years were examined. Each involved interview with the person with
dementia, and a workplace representative. This data triangulation endorsed precision, permitting the experiences to
be seen via a variation of opinions to build a clear image of each circumstance. The inferences of this study are
multi-layered and require to be measured in terms of the individuals’ wellbeing, organizational support, and the
wider theoretical, economic and societal consequences of supporting employees as well as persons with dementia.
