What ethical challenges are presented by caring for people with dementia? How should we understand - and respect - the personhood of those experiencing cognitive decline? And what can virtue ethics and care ethics contribute to the development of an alternative ethical model for dementia care?

These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, in conversation with Vince Mitchell. Vince is a Lecturer in Health and Social Care, specialising in mental health, at The Open University (UK). He is a qualified mental health nurse with experience of nursing people in a wide variety of clinical settings. Having graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Practice and a Master of Arts in Applied Ethics from the University of York, Vince undertook doctoral research at the University of Surrey, where he was awarded a PhD in 2016 for his thesis examining ethical frameworks for dementia care. Since then, he has published a number of articles and book chapters on the ethics of mental health nursing and on ethical practice in dementia care.

We discuss the following topics in this episode:

Vince's journey into nursing (02:15)

Working as a mental health nurse (04:50)

Bridging the worlds of philosophy and care practice (07:00)

The challenges that dementia presents for care providers (10:40)

The inadequacy of existing ethical models (13:15)

Some of the key ethical issues in dementia care (15:35)

Personhood and autonomy (19:08)

The personal identity challenge to advance directives (23:50)

Thomas Kitwood's model of person-centred care (30:10)

Julian Hughes' Situated Embodied Agent approach (34:13)

Personal dignity and human flourishing (36:19)

Introducing virtue ethics (39:55)

Vulnerability, interdependence and trust (43:05)

Care ethics, justice and the socio-political context of dementia care (47:55)

An alternative ethical model for dementia care (51:10)

Implementing the model in practice (55:35)

Vince's plans for future work in care ethics (58:50)

A selection of Vince's publications

'Ethics and mental health nursing' (2017)

'Ethical practice in dementia care' (2019)

Some of the writers and thinkers mentioned in the episode

Rebecca Dresser

Ronald Dworkin

Derek Parfit

Thomas Kitwood

Julian Hughes

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

Martin Buber

Martha Nussbaum

Emmanel Levinas

How can we ensure that people with intellectual disabilities participate fully in political life? What lessons can we learn from communities of care in which disabled and non-disabled people live together? And what should be the relationship between local communities of care and wider social and political structures?

These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, with Lorraine Krall McCrary. Lorraine is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Wabash College, a liberal arts school in Indiana, and a research associate at St Edmund's College, Cambridge. She has a doctorate in political theory from Georgetown University and previously taught at Washington University in St. Louis and at Villanova University. Lorraine's search brings together disability studies and feminist care ethics, and she also writes about topics in politics and literature, as well as the relationship between the family and politics. Lorraine is currently in the final stages of writing a book based on her most recent research, with the working title Care Communities: Politics in a Different Voice.

We discuss the following topics in this episode:

Lorraine's work as a political theorist and the roots of her interest in disability issues (02:35)

Hannah Arendt's theory of 'natality' (05:00)

Natality and the politics of birth at Auschwitz (07:36)

Bearing witness in dark times (10:45)

Lorraine's use of literary sources in her work on disability (12:40)

Jane Addams and the politics of human interconnectedness (16:05)

Lorraine's research with communities of care at L'Arche, Camphill, and Geel (21:13)

Towards a relational understanding of reason (28:58)

The idea of community in the political thought of Alexis de Tocqueville (33:00)

Jean Vanier and revelations of abuse at L'Arche (36:12)

Abuse as 'relational tyranny' (39:12)

The notion of subsidiarity in feminist care ethics and Catholic Social Teaching (44:08)

The role of the state in relation to communities of care (49:00)

Relational caring at a community level as cultivating a wider sense of social solidarity (52:57)

Future directions for Lorraine's research (56:20)

A selection of Lorraine's publications

'Geel's Family Care Tradition: Care, Communities, and the Social Inclusion of Persons with Disability' (2017)

'Re-Envisioning Independence and Community: Critiques from the Independent Living Movement and L'Arche' (2017)

'Natality and Disability: From Augustine to Arendt and Back' (2018)

'From Hull-House to Herland: Engaged and Extended Care in Jane Addams and Charlotte Perkins Gilman' (2018)

'The Politics of Community: Care and Agency in People with Intellectual Disabilities at L'Arche' (2020)

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What can we learn about care from the experiences of mothers of children with disabilities? How can the writings of a medieval Christian mystic deepen our understanding of maternal love and care? Can the religious emphasis on kenosis, or self-giving love, be reconciled with a feminist perspective on care? And to what extent does the practice of intimate caregiving lead to a wider concern with equity and social justice?

These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, with Melody Escobar. Melody is a postdoctoral research associate at Baylor University, a private Christian University in Waco, Texas, where she is a research scholar for the Baylor Collaborative on Faith and Disability, in the Center for Developmental Disabilities, and where she lectures on religion and disability, eco-justice, and mysticism.

Before completing her doctorate in Christian spirituality at Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Melody had a career in corporate communications spanning 18 years. She has served as a Catholic lay minister for more than 10 years in various capacities and she has also worked as a chaplain resident. Melody’s research and publications in Christian spirituality and practical theology focus on families who experience disability, innovative models of ministry, and curricula advancing inclusion and belonging in academic and spiritual life.

Melody is the author of the book Revelations of Divine Care: Disability, Spirituality, and Mutual Flourishing, which was published in 2024 by Baylor University Press, as part of their Studies in Religion, Theology, and Disability series.

We discuss the following topics in this episode:

Melody's personal, spiritual and academic journey (03:55)

Melody's experience as the mother of a child with a disability (06:00)

Equine-assisted therapy for children with disabilities (08:02)

The influence of the writings of Julian of Norwich on Melody's thinking (10:25)

The horse ring as a sacred space of community and belonging (13:55)

The importance of hospitality (17:01)

Melody's research with mothers of children with disabilities (19:10)

The importance of giving voice to mothers' experiences (25:12)

The key themes emerging from Melody's research (27:00)

Faith, spirituality, and care (29:20)

The contested role of kenotic, or self-giving love, in care (32:25)

The need for structural and policy reform to support mothers' caregiving (35:23)

The vision of maternal love in Julian of Norwich's writings (37:25)

Widening the circle of loving care (40:37)

The lessons of Melody's research for churches and faith communities (43:35)

Developments in disability theology (47:44)

Melody's forthcoming book 'Belonging Under The Bridge' (50:07)

Some of the writers and thinkers mentioned in the episode

Julian of Norwich