Royal visit by King and Queen of Sweden

The King and Queen of Sweden paid a royal visit to the University of Stirling in October to learn about its world-leading dementia research. Queen Silvia’s charity foundation Silviahemmet is supporting a major research project, led by CPC member Professor Alison Bowes, to develop housing innovations that can better support people living with cognitive conditions, such as dementia, to stay in their own homes for longer.

The project, Designing Homes for Healthy Cognitive Ageing (DesHCA), is funded by the ESRC under the Healthy Ageing Challenge Programme, and brings together Scotland’s leading experts on dementia and dementia design, the building industry, architects, housing providers and those living with dementia and their families, to create designs for future-proof housing which will meet the needs of the world’s ageing population.

During a tour of the Dementia Services Development Centre’s Dementia-friendly Demonstration Suites – a permanent display of rooms and equipment adapted to support the particular needs of people living with dementia – the royal party learned of the history of the unique research facility.

The royal family have an existing interest in dementia with Queen Silvia having founded the charity foundation Silviahemmet, which offers training programmes and care for those living with dementia and their families.

Professor Alison Bowes, Principal Investigator for the DesHCA project, said:

It is an honour to host the King and Queen… and demonstrate the breadth and importance of the research carried out here. Dementia is a condition which touches everyone. Approximately 10 million new cases are diagnosed every year, and with populations ageing across the world, there’s a growing demand for new care technologies, new housing models and innovations to help people remain independent for longer. Collaborations such as our project with Silviahemmet and our other partners, bring together research, industry and practice, to ensure these solutions are delivered and make a difference to people across the world.

University of Stirling Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Gerry McCormac, said: “We were delighted to welcome Their Majesties the King and Queen of Sweden to the University campus. This was an important opportunity to showcase the world-leading, transformative and lifechanging research led by the University and to acknowledge the King and Queen’s support for this work.”

Further reading

Developing innovative solutions to the challenges of ageing and dementia (Healthy Ageing in Scotland)

King and Queen of Sweden visit the University of Stirling’s dementia centre (University of Stirling)