Building a better life with dementia

by Elyse Couch

Anne’s body was tilting further and further forwards. I could see her nose getting closer to the stage in front of her, and I wasn’t the only one who had noticed. Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, who were on stage talking about Richard’s new book, were eyeing her nervously. Eventually, I realised that Anne was sound asleep. I jumped out of my seat at the side of the room and gently pushed her sleeping body upright in her chair. The talk carried on and Anne continued to sleep.

Young-onset dementia care is inadequate – but how can we improve it?

by Clarissa Giebel

Young-onset dementia (YOD) affects approximately 40,000 people in the UK alone. If someone has a diagnosis of dementia, and is below 65 years of age, they are diagnosed with YOD. But that doesn’t mean it only happens to people in their 60s. There are people diagnosed with YOD at all ages, including in their 40s, 30s and even 20s in extreme cases.

Collaborating to prevent dementia and advance care for people affected by dementia

by James Dixon

It is World Alzheimer’s Day today and with it comes the rather worn question: are we any closer to preventing or curing dementia? Along with the personal struggle that dementia can bring to any family, it’s a worsening issue as the UK’s population ages and places further strain on a brittle social care system. Newspaper headlines about the next miracle prevention for dementia, whether blueberries or black coffee, are often overblown but behind these stories lie pieces of research taking place across the country and the rest of the world.

Understanding dementia: the value of co-research

by Linda Birt

Each year several thousand people with dementia take part in vital research as research participants, yet there are few examples of co-research projects in dementia research.

Co-research means people with experience of the condition work alongside academics in all stages of the research process: co-designing studies and co-creating data and results. In the context of dementia, co-research has the potential to actively involve and empower people with dementia and reduce stigma and feelings of isolation.

Quality of life in dementia: are the views of care home staff and relatives the same?

Sarah Robertson is a PhD student with funding from the NIHR Collaborations in Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care. Sarah has been working as part of the Managing Agitation and Raising Quality of Life in dementia (MARQUE) team at UCL and this work inspired her thesis comparing the perspectives of paid and family carers in quality of life.

In 2012, the UK government announced that in the face of “one of the biggest health challenges ever” that it was time to “fight back”. These challenges were presented by dementia which to this day, remains a public and political priority. In the same year, David Cameron launched his first Dementia Challenge. In response, the ESRC and NIHR pledged £20 million towards Improving Dementia Care and a number of large research projects were funded to support the shared global objective of enabling people to live well with dementia.