NEWSLETTER/
AUTUMN/WINTER 2018
Welcome to our Autumn/Winter 2018 newsletter! As you will see, the team have had a busy few months since our last newsletter came out in May 2018. We have hosted a variety of public engagement activities including several during Dementia Action Week, with one of our key foci this year on the power of music in dementia. We are fortunate that Christopher Eccleston has agreed to become the Patron of Salford Institute for Dementia and we look forward to building on our work with him over the last two years into the future. Staff and students have presented at conferences hosted locally, for example the British Society of Gerontology annual meeting came to Manchester this year with University of Salford’s Dr Andrew Clark, the Institute’s research lead, one of the meeting organisers; and internationally at events in Chicago, Malta and Ireland. In this way, we have shared our work with local audiences, and at national and international events. We profile three of our dementia associates in this newsletter building on the introduction to our members in the last issue. Our associates are integral to the work we do at Salford and we are proud to have such an eclectic, passionate and experienced group of people guiding our work. We are in the final stages of preparing a short video-film where members of our dementia associate panel talk about the work they do with us and we will present this at Alzheimer Europe annual conference in Barcelona in October. The video will also go on our website so keep an eye out for this. Our research activities are driven by a passion and commitment to help improve the lives of those impacted by dementia. In this newsletter we throw the spotlight on the bioscience research led by our Knowledge Translation lead, Dr Gemma Lace-Costigan. This exploratory work is seeking to advance scientific knowledge about dementia. The other project that features is research on neighbourhoods. This innovative collaborative work has been led at University of Salford by Dr Andrew Clark and is featured in an ITN/ Alzheimer Disease International film. The research has already won an award by the European Foundations Innovations Fund and demonstrates the international reach of this ground-breaking work.
We have many new activities planned for the forthcoming months, I will mention two here: / First is our contribution to the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Festival of Social Sciences (FOSS). Our Dementia and Ageing showcase will be held on Tuesday 6 November at The Old Fire Station at University of Salford, from 2.30 – 4.30pm. Come along and learn more about our research. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dementia-and-ageing-hub-showcasetickets-51067203380 / Second, on the 29 November we will host an educational conference in collaboration with ONECPD. The event focuses on dementia friendly environments. We are pleased that the Institute’s international Advisor Professor John Zeisel will give the opening keynote. The programme is full of interesting presentations, and also gives delegates the opportunity to visit the Dementia Hub where we host our groups for people living with dementia and our Living Lab where robotics and artificial intelligence are utilised to help promote independent living. To book onto this conference follow the link below www.salford.ac.uk/onecpd/conferences/environment-and-design-fordementia As always, we run our monthly SIDs café, music café and our fortnightly ‘Good Life Club’. If you know someone with dementia who would like to come along do get in touch with us for the schedule of meetings. As always, we love new people joining our existing groups!
Professor Anthea Innes Director Salford Institute for Dementia and Coles Medlock Professor
At the Salford Institute for Dementia, we are passionate about involving families impacted by dementia in all our activities. We are proud to have the support of a panel of voluntary Dementia Associates who provide advice on the research, education, outreach and support activities we do. In each newsletter we introduce different members of this panel, as a means of celebrating their positive influence on the work we do here at the Institute.
DEMENTIA ASSOCIATES/ PAT FOY/ Pat has been involved with the Institute since 2014 and was part of the committee that planned the very first Good Life Festival, which was a huge success. Pat’s husband, Malcolm, was diagnosed with dementia in 2010 and she cared for him at home until 2013 when he was admitted to a care home. Together, Pat and Malcolm became involved in numerous dementia groups across Salford, including the Singing for the Brain group and other groups run by Age UK. Pat is passionate about making a difference to other people living with dementia and their care partners. As well as being a Dementia Associate at the Institute, she is Chair of the Carers and Ex-Carers Support Group based in Salford. Pat is involved in a number of exciting research projects, which all aim to improve the lives of those living with dementia. She is also a Dementia Champion within the Salford Clinical Commissioning Group, a Dementia Friend and is a member of the Dementia Action Alliance. As a result of her experience caring for her husband, Pat has been
invited to speak to student nurses, MSc students and at numerous prestigious events to help explain how dementia affects carers as well as those living with dementia. She is passionate about supporting others on their dementia journey and we are extremely lucky to have her expertise on our panel of associates.
JACKIE GANDY/ Jackie has been involved with the Institute for Dementia since its inception in 2014. Jackie has extensive experience of dementia and looked after her husband, Harold, who was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2006. Jackie cared for Harold at home until 2013, while still working full-time at the University of Manchester as a Student Support Officer. When Harold died in 2015, Jackie felt that the easiest thing to do would be to walk away from dementia entirely. However, she realised that over the years of caring she had built up a wealth of knowledge and experience of dementia and she wanted to put this to good use. Jackie is passionate about using her expertise to make Salford a better place for people living with dementia and their care partners.
LESLEY CALVERT/ As well as being a Dementia Associate, Lesley has also been part of the Young Onset Dementia group (YOD) at our Institute for Dementia. Lesley received a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in 2013 and as a result of the memory problems she was experiencing, she had to retire from her job as a district nurse. Lesley didn’t know what to do following her retirement but someone asked her to speak at a conference about her dementia and the impact that the condition had upon her life. After this success, she was asked to speak at other conferences and get involved in a number of groups and events. Despite being a nurse for so long, Lesley said that at first, she did not know much about how dementia affected a person living with the condition and those around them. That has all changed now and she has become an expert on dementia and uses her expertise to help others affected by this condition. Since her diagnosis, Lesley has learned to swim and joined a dementia friendly swimming group. She now does a breath-taking 80 - 100 lengths per week! She has also been involved in writing a publication about the Good Life Festival, an extremely successful event that was co-produced by people living with dementia, carer partners, the University of Salford and the Alzheimer’s Society. Additionally, Lesley has recently been part of an animated film about the challenges of living with dementia. Her active involvement in so many of the Institute’s activities and dedication to helping others impacted by dementia makes Lesley an extremely valued member of the Dementia Associate team.
As well as being an Associate and a Dementia Champion with Salford Clinical Commissioning Group, she is also the secretary of a carers and ex-carers support group run by carers for carers. She has been invited to speak to nurses and students about her caring role and also speak about end of life care. Jackie feels that as an ex-carer, it is important to stay involved in the world of dementia to support other people living with the condition, as she says it could be her one day. Her enthusiasm for what she does is admirable and we are very lucky to have her input on the activities undertaken at the Institute.
SPOTLIGHT ON MEMBERS OF THE TEAM/ CHRIS SEWARDS/ Chris joins Sophie as a Community Engagement Officer working in the Dementia Hub. As part of this role, Chris helps to run the various groups that we offer to those living with dementia and their care partners, including the Good Life Club, the Music Club and the SiD cafe. Chris is also involved in the recruitment of research participants and Dementia Associates, so if you want to get involved in our activities you should contact him. Chris has worked in social care for over 30 years, mainly in learning difficulty services at Salford City Council and Aspire Community Interest Company. He has been Dementia Lead at Aspire since 2014 with a responsibility for dementia care and training across the organisation. He recently worked with SID on the Young Onset Dementia Project and we are delighted he has returned to work with us. He is in the final year of the MSc Dementia Care programme at the University of Manchester and is interested in many areas of dementia care including psychosocial interventions, social inclusion and patient and public involvement in research and practice. Email: dementia@salford.ac.uk Phone: 0161 295 2363
DR JACK WILSON/ Jack is a linguist and leader of the ‘creativity’ theme within the Institute for Dementia. This position involves coordinating research and other activities at the interface of creative practice and dementia research. Jack is currently developing ways to bring dementia awareness into the undergraduate curriculum of degrees within the School of Arts and Media. As an academic, Jack is building on the success of the events hosted by the Institute for Dementia during Dementia Action Week to further promote a ‘dementia-friendly country’. His current research uses big data to explore media and social media representations of dementia. He hopes that this work can be used to explore and change the (social-)media conversations surrounding dementia and promote a positive image of people with dementia. Email: J.J.Wilson@salford.ac.uk Phone: 0161 295 8110
HOPE SENSORY FARM VISIT/ A group of our Good Life Club members and Sophie, our Community Engagement Officer, enjoyed a visit to Hope Sensory Farm in Astley in early September. Hope Sensory Farm is the home and brainchild of Christine Dickenson. Christine, a former nursing assistant, is passionate about improving the lives of people with dementia. She has worked tirelessly to achieve the funding necessary to become the first dementia friendly working farm in the UK. The farm has a variety of animals to greet, feed, and even catch, as Ron and Mike will provide testament to, having participated in a spot of fishing upon the farm lake. A particular highlight was meeting the beautiful farm horses at the stables. The farm has all kinds of horses from the very large Shire, to the much smaller Shetland ponies. Christine was keen to point out how the addition of Shetlands to her stable was fantastic for people with dementia in wheelchairs, due to the height of the ponies being just right for patting when sitting down. The group were given the opportunity to feed some of the animals, including goats, peacocks, donkeys and ducks. Indeed, a fight almost broke out between the ducks and the peacocks such was their appetite! Christine reliably informed us bread was a rare treat for the birds, hence their enthusiasm! The day ended with a trip to the llama pen, Sophie wasn’t keen to get too close but our fearless associates couldn’t wait to get involved with feeding them too.
As you can see from this picture, the Shetlands are very friendly; this one seems to be whispering something in Ron’s ear!
All in all, we had a lovely afternoon and would encourage anyone living or caring for someone with dementia to visit Hope Sensory Farm. They work with a variety of care homes in the Greater Manchester region and are open to both community based and care dwelling visitors. Contact Christine on 07873 690178 to arrange a visit.
NEW PHD STUDENTS AND PHD SUCCESS/ Diana Stan successfully completed her PhD Viva in July where she defended her work exploring autophagy impairments in Alzheimer’s disease. Romanian born Diana has been at Salford since 2014, when she enrolled to study for a BSc in Biomedical Science. She was subsequently awarded a First Class degree, with her final mark being one of the highest in her year. She then began her PhD in Dr Gemma Lace-Costigan’s research group, where she embraced a variety of research, science communication, outreach and public engagement work. Diana was awarded several poster and oral presentation prizes during her time at Salford and she began work as a Medical Writer at Ashfield Healthcare just three days after handing in her thesis. Well done Diana, a true Salford star!
Success for Dr Diana Stan
Three new doctoral students began their studies in September 2018. Toby Aarons, who is funded by the Doctoral Training Alliance, will be supervised by Dr Gemma Lace-Costigan to work on a project exploring how damage spreads in the brains of those with dementia. Mohammad Hussain will be focusing on Bangaldeshi communities and understandings/framings of dementia and service/policy responses and is supervised by Professor Anya Ahmed and Dr Andrew Clark. Austin Aneke will be exploring the role of neighbours in supporting people living with dementia and will be supervised by Dr Andrew Clark and Professor Anthea Innes. We will feature more details about each of their planned research studies in the next newsletter.
ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECTS/ In this issue of the newsletter we focus on two aspects of the research undertaken by staff and students at the Salford Institute for Dementia. The first area is allied to our ethos of promoting wellbeing for those living with dementia. Dr Andrew Clark’s collaborative research funded via the ESRC and NIHR demonstrates one of our substantial programmes of research that has been underway for the last four years. The second area of research we highlight in this issue is our biomedical research, led by our knowledge exchange lead, Dr Gemma Lace-Costigan, and conducted primarily with doctoral students whom the University is investing in as future scientific leaders in the dementia field. Doctoral research is funded via Alzheimer Research UK, Doctoral Training Alliance and the University of Salford.
THE NEIGHBOURHOODS: OUR PEOPLE OUR PLACES PROJECT/ For the past four years Dr Andrew Clark has been working with colleagues at the University of Manchester, University of Stirling and Linköping University (Sweden) on a major project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The work is investigating what neighbourhoods mean for people living with dementia, and how local places can better support people to live as well as possible in their own homes. The research has gathered new insights into how neighbourhoods might enable or restrict opportunities for informal and semiformal support as well as their potential to enable people living with dementia to live independently in the community. Andrew has been working with Sarah Campbell and John Keady from the University of Manchester to distil their learning into core messages that emphasise the benefits of remaining connected, acts of kindness, reciprocity, and maintaining a sense of routine and habit among familiar people and places. Throughout the work Andrew, Sarah and the wider team have aimed to implement a collaborative approach to the research, working alongside people living with dementia and their care partners. They have been involved at various stages of the research development, including input into the research methods and information materials. Andrew and Sarah have spent the last 12 months undertaking a range of creative activities alongside participants and interested stakeholders to ensure the findings from the research can make a difference to those living with dementia and their carers and supporters. Alongside more conventional academic activities such as conferences, seminars, workshops and reports, we have developed a unique knowledge exchange programme to engage the wider public in debate about the purpose of neighbourhoods, local communities and the role that informal support can and should play in the lives of people living with dementia. We are finding ways to tell the stories from the research in creative ways, some of which we have reported on in previous newsletters. In July 2018 the work was featured in a programme called ‘Every Three Seconds’ produced by ITN Productions for Alzheimer’s Disease International. You can view this at www.alz.co.uk/everythreeseconds. The programme addressed some of what needs to be done to better support those living with dementia and encourage global action on the condition.
Many of our collaborators, particularly those living with dementia, also wanted a way of telling their stories in an illustrative form that is less reliant on text to share information and key messages. We have worked with a group of people living with dementia and their carers, alongside illustrator Domenique Brouwers, to produce a series of graphic magazines (or ‘zines’) to promote the findings of the research. The first of these was printed in summer 2018 and is available in print and electronic form. We are distributing the magazine as widely as possible around Greater Manchester, not just to groups and organisations supporting people living with dementia, but also through GP surgeries, shops, cafes and public libraries. If you would like a copy, please contact Andrew via the Salford Institute for Dementia or at a.clark@salford.ac.uk
BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH GROUP/ There are currently no drugs that slow or halt the progression of the various conditions that lead to dementia and so the discovery of a preventative treatment or a curative therapy is a key area of biomedical research. The primary aim of the biomedical dementia research based in the Translational Medicine Unit at the University of Salford is to understand why brain cells die in dementia, and how we could potentially protect brain cells using therapeutic and/or lifestyle based approaches. The research uses human brain tissue from the Manchester Brain Bank and also cell based models (where human derived cells are grown in the lab so they can be studied).
‘Brain Junk’ in Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia Abnormal build up of brain cell ‘junk’ is a common feature found in many people living with dementia’s brains, including Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia. This ‘junk’ is known to damage the brains cells which then leads to the various symptoms of dementia. In a healthy person, junk is cleared from cells by a number of biological waste disposal symptoms. Similar to our household recycling system which makes use of different bins for different types of rubbish, our brains have a number of ‘bins’ to clear different types of waste. It was previously well reported that these waste disposal systems didn’t seem to be working well in people with dementia, however it was unclear what the specific problem was. Salford researchers have established that in different forms of dementia, these waste disposal systems are affected in different ways. This is an important finding as it means different drugs would be needed to treat the various subtypes of dementia, rather than a ‘one size fits all’ treatment approach. The research team are now investigating how to restore normal waste disposal using drug and dietary based treatments. This work has been funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK and the University of Salford.
Richard Heale studying human brain tissue in the Translational Medicine labs at the University of Salford
UNDERSTANDING DEMENTIA RISK FACTORS/ It is well known that a number of factors, such as midlife obesity, smoking, diabetes and physical inactivity, can increase the risk of developing dementia. However, exactly how these factors influence our brain and increase our risk of developing dementia, remains unclear. A number of doctoral researchers are exploring the biological nature of these risk factors. Incubator grown cells can be exposed to conditions similar to those seen in the brains of people with dementia. This creates a model system that allows us to test if various drugs, hormones or nutrients have any protective effects on brain cells. Neha Tomar is exploring the link between obesity and dementia. Her studies involve
exploring how the various substances released by fat cells, may protect or damage brain cells that are exposed to dementia-simulating conditions. Bader Alawfi and Ayed Alshammari are both exploring how parasitic infection may affect brain cells so that the risk for developing dementia changes. By understanding more about how these various risk factors affect our brain, we can develop therapies that counteract the risk so that our brains are protected. For more information on the biomedical research undertaken at Salford please contact Dr Gemma Lace-Costigan (g.l.lace-costigan@salford.ac.uk).
Researchers at the Alzheimer’s Research UK 2018 Conference (left to right, Diana Stan, Neha Tomar, Richard Heale, Ayed Alshammari and Bader Alawfi)
CONFERENCES/ This has been an exciting summer for our research teams who have travelled far and wide to present our research progress. BRITISH SOCIETY OF GERONTOLOGY 47TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE/ This year’s British Society of Gerontology Conference (BSG) was held in Manchester and organised by the University of Manchester, University of Salford and Manchester Metropolitan University. The conference was the largest in the Society’s 47-year history and was attended by several hundred delegates from across the world. Andrew Clark was the lead organiser from Salford and the Institute had an excellent turn out with papers from Anya Ahmed, John Chatwin, Andrew Clark, Anthea Innes, Lydia Morris, Chris Poyner, Chris Sewards, Monika Sharma, Tracey Williamson, and Natalie Yates -Bolton. The Institute also had a stand at the event, which proved popular with delegates. Among the papers presented was one on ‘Empowered Conversations: A communication training and approach for carers of people living with dementia’. Presented by Lydia Morris, this looked at how communication with people with dementia is underpinned by empathy and an understanding of the goals of those being communicated with. Tracey Williamson led a presentation on ‘Findings from a three year study: experiences of dementia services by people living with young onset dementia’ that addressed how services are often tailored for older adults not younger people with dementia who are often in their forties and fifties. ‘Care homes as a place for empowered living’ was presented by Natalie Yates-Bolton and explored the meaning and purpose of life as experienced by care home residents. A poster was presented by John Chatwin, Chris Sewards and Conor Griffiths on ‘Methodological approaches to involving people with dementia and family carers in research advisory roles’. Monika Sharma discussed accessibility to heritage settings for people living with dementia, Andrew Clark presented
three papers based on his work from the ‘Neighbourhoods: Our people, our places’ study, which explored the lives of people living with dementia and their families in Scotland, England and Sweden. Anthea Innes and Chris Poyner shared with delegates their work on live music performances and how these improve wellbeing for people with dementia.
NHS EXPO 2018/ In September, Andrew Clark teamed up with Lesmond Taylor from Salford CVS and Dementia Associate Joy Watson to help promote ‘The Salford Way’ App at NHS Expo 2018. The app is designed to provide information on dementia-friendly services and businesses across Salford. More information is available at www.salfordcvs.co.uk/salford-waydementia-app-0
MALTA: PUBLIC LECTURE ON DEMENTIA/ In June, Anthea Innes was in Malta conducting research fieldwork in Maltese hospitals with her colleague and recently successful doctoral student, Dr Anthony Scerri. During her visit she gave a public lecture on dementia care in Malta based on her research in Malta over the last decade with Maltese-
based colleagues in geriatric medicine, pharmacology and nursing. Her work in Malta has highlighted patterns of care that include moving the person with dementia to different family member homes and care in hospitals that use various forms of restraint. Her research informed the development of the Maltese National Dementia Strategy.
International Conference where three institute colleagues presented biomedical research findings on their Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia research. The second event was the Alzheimer Disease International (ADI) conference where Professor Innes presented the Institute’s work on music and dementia and our work with people living with dementia co-ordinated by Sophie Bushell and currently being evaluated by Chris Poyner. The ADI conference featured a film showcasing one of our research projects with the Salford element led by Dr Andrew Clark.
Professor Anthea Innes delivering a public lecture on dementia in Malta June 2018
3RD IRISH RURAL DEMENTIA CARE CONFERENCE/ Professor Anthea Innes attended the third Irish Rural Dementia Care Conference in Connemara in May 2018. This event caught the Irish nations’ attention and Professor Innes was featured on the National evening news alongside individuals living with dementia from Ireland, Scotland and England. This event highlighted the important contribution activism in dementia plays in bringing about positive changes for those living with dementia and those who provide care and support.
Professor Anthea Innes with other speakers at the Irish Rural Dementia Care conference
CHICAGO ALZHEIMER CONFERENCES/ Institute staff attended and presented at two back to back international conferences hosted in Chicago this July. The first event was the Alzheimer’s Association
Dr Gemma Lace with PhD students Richard Heale and Diana Stan at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference
MAKING A FILM ABOUT CO-RESEARCH WITH PEOPLE LIVING WITH DEMENTIA/ For the past four years Andrew Clark has been working with Professor John Keady and Sarah Campbell at the University of Manchester, as well as colleagues at the University of Stirling and Linkoping University on a project on the neighbourhood experiences of people living with dementia. Over the summer, the team were approached to make a film with ITN Productions and Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI). The short film was part of ADI’s ‘Every three seconds’ campaign to raise the profile of the global impact of dementia, whilst highlighting practical and innovative ways in which we can all make a difference. The film showcases how the different ways that people living with dementia have been involved in the research, including supporting and advising on study design, involvement in developing creative methods of data collection, and contributing to dissemination activities. Undoubtedly, the stars of the film are Eric Barton and Lesley Calvert who talk about their role as co-researchers in the study and share their experiences of living with dementia. The production was premiered at the ADI International Conference in Chicago in late July and is featured in the September issue of The Journal of Dementia Care (pg 16-17). You can also watch it (with subtitles) online at https://itnproductions.wistia.com/medias/ pmck1nt1y3
PEER REVIEW PUBLICATIONS/ As well as conference presentations the team have had several peer review papers accepted. 1. Tischler V et al (2018) Stronger together: learning from an interdisciplinary Dementia, Arts & Wellbeing Network (DA&WN). Arts and Health: An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice ISSN 1753-3023 2. Barrett, P., Sharma, M. and Zeisel, J. (2018): Optimal spaces for those living with dementia: Principles and evidence. Building Research & Information. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10. 1080/09613218.2018.1489473 3. Broadley RW, Klenk J, Thies SB, Kenney LPJ, Granat MH (2018) Methods for the Real-World Evaluation of Fall Detection Technology: A Scoping Review. Sensors 18(7), 2060; https://doi. org/10.3390/s18072060 4. Rabanal L, Chatwin J, Sewards C & Williamson T (2018) Understanding the needs of people with young onset dementia (YOD) a qualitative study. BMJ Open (in press). 5. Pickford CG, Kerr A, Banger M, Clarke-Cornwell AM, Hollands KL, Quinn T, Granat MH (2018) Quantifying sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit transitions in free-living environments. Gait and Posture. (In press) 6. Chatwin J & Ahmed A (2018) Research protocol of the Cii-Study: Interactions between care staff and residents in care homes, and their impact on well-being. Ageing and Mental Health (in press). 7. Chatwin J, et al (2018) Understanding the needs of people with young onset dementia (YOD) a qualitative study. BMJ Open (in press). 8. Forbes, D.A., et al (2018) Integrated Knowledge Translation Strategies that Enhance the Lives of Persons with Dementia and Their Family Caregivers. Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care,,2.
EDUCATION SECTION/ Media students collaborate to develop dementia-friendly television. September 2018 saw the acceptance of a research paper by the Journal of Enabling Technologies entitled ‘Dementia-friendly design of television news broadcasts’. This paper reported on a study undertaken in collaboration with the Institute, led by two media students Liam Funnell and Issy Garriock, supported by Dr Tracey Williamson and Ben Shirley. The focus of their study had been to identify the factors needed to promote television news programmes that are accessible to people living with dementia. Liam and Issy developed a relationship with the Institute at a previous Dementia Awareness Week event in 2016 where they filmed the presentations and undertook filmed interviews with participants. They enjoyed the event so much, they looked for a project for their dissertations that involved people with dementia and their family supporters. The study involved several of our Dementia Associates who helped design the study by initially meeting the students to discuss what challenges they faced when watching television in general. Issues related to the speed of movement by TV characters, background distractions such as people walking past and unhelpful use of images. An interview guide was developed and two group disussions followed. The first group discussion centred on what participants liked or disliked about some sample TV news programme clips. Findings from these interviews led the students to develop some further clips of mock news programmes and, at a further interview, the students presented these clips and sought feedback on them. This led to the students identifying a range of principles that if adopted, could lead to more dementiafriendly television news programmes. Interestingly, in September 2018 the Alzheimer’s Society launched a
new Media Guide that both Professor Anthea Innes and Hazel Blears were involved with as advisors. This guide is a fantastic resource for the media industry and the research undertaken by Salford’s students echoes the content of the guide. The guide can be downloaded from www.alzheimers.org.uk/form/ download-the-dementia-friendly-m This study is an example of how we support the development of students and foster close working with the Dementia Associates who use their expertise by experience, to help ground our research. Both students and Dementia Associates greatly enjoyed the intergenerational aspects of this study.
Liam Funnell and Isy Garriock filming the Dementia Awareness Week event in 2016
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT/ DEMENTIA ACTION WEEK/
Panel discussion with Christopher Eccleston
In May 2018, we hosted a number of events as part of Dementia Action Week. During this week, millions of people across the UK were reached as thousands of people united to raise awareness about dementia. The events of this week began with a policy roundtable discussion with Nordoff Robbins regarding ‘Music in Dementia’ followed by an interactive afternoon celebrating the ‘Power of Music’ in supporting people living with dementia and their care partners. The ‘Role of Arts and Media in Public Perception of Dementia ‘ was a successful, sell-out, evening panel discussion featuring Doctor Who actor, Christopher Eccleston, Rt Hon Hazel Blears, Joy Watson and Gail Bowker (Dementia Associate panel members) and Professor Anthea Innes, and was chaired by Dr Kirsty Fairclough. This stimulating and topical discussion explored media portrayals of dementia across TV, film, the press and social media. Following this event,
Christopher Eccleston accepted the role of Salford Institute for Dementia patron and we look forward to working with him to promote our ethos in the future. Later in the week, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as well as Kathryn Smith, Chief Operating Officer at the Alzheimer’s Society, Helen Davies, Head of Public Affairs at Alzheimer’s Research UK, and David Croisdale-Appleby, Chairman of Dementia UK visited the Dementia Hub to see how the Hub has transformed the lives of families impacted by dementia. One of the highlights of the visit was an impromptu ‘Bake Off’ competition between Andy Burnham, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Salford Helen Marshall and the Dementia Associates, who were also in attendance at this event. Rt Hon Hazel Blears, external advisor to the Institute stepped in to judge this competition and a wonderful time was had by all! Finally, the Alzheimer’s Research UK North West Public Engagement Event was held at the Peel Park campus of the University of Salford. A full afternoon of lab tours, interactive sessions, exhibitions, discussion and performances. The event was led by Salford in collaboration with researchers from the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University. As well as showcasing dementia research, other exhibitions and stalls were delivered by dementia service providers and industrial partners including the Greater Manchester Fire Service, Greater Manchester Police, Makerfield Ltd, Join Dementia Research and Limon Attire.
The Alzheimer’s Research UK North West Public Engagement Event
GREATER MANCHESTER FESTIVAL OF AGEING LAUNCH/
Mayor Andy Burnham visiting the Dementia Hub
On Monday 2 July, Salford researchers led a series of activities at the launch of the Greater Manchester Festival of Ageing at Manchester Art Gallery. This successful event was established to celebrate and promote a positive portrayal of ageing whilst encouraging
policy makers to take action to improve the lives of the 907,000 older people living in Greater Manchester. Their research on healthy ageing and reducing dementia risk was presented using a range of interactive and creative activities and the facilities of the Salford Institute for Dementia were also promoted by the team. The Greater Manchester Festival of Ageing
VISIT FROM LORD ANDREW MAWSON/ On Wednesday 13 June, the Institute welcomed Lord Andrew Mawson (Executive Chair of ‘Well North’ and Social Gemma Lace-Costigan, Andrew Clark, Entrepreneur) Anthea Innes, Lord Andrew Mawson and to the Dementia Rt Hon Hazel Blears Hub for a tour of the facilities and to explore community enterprise/ entrepreneurship, community health and urban regeneration opportunities. Lord Mawson also visited the Nursing Simulation Suites and the Translational Medicine Laboratories at the University as part of his visit. VISIT FROM SIR PETER GERSHON, LORD KEITH BRADLEY, ALISTAIR BURNS AND PROFESSOR JOHN AINSWORTH/ Sir Peter Gershon, Lord Keith Bradley, Alistair Burns and Professor John Ainsworth, visited us on 23 August to meet our Dementia Associates and see our flagship facility. The visitors also met one of our theme leads, Professor Samia Nefti-Meziani, and toured the Living Lab where they had the opportunity to view and test various robotics and artificial intelligence outputs.
Lord Keith Bradley, Rt Hon Hazel Blears, Margaret Rowe, Prof Alistair Burns, Prof Anthea Innes, Sir Peter Gershon and Prof John Ainsworth visit to the Hub
ALZHEIMER’S SHOW/ On Friday 8 and Saturday 9 June the Salford Institute for Dementia team attended the Alzheimer’s Show 2018 hosted at Olympia London, which is the UK’s leading event for families, carers and care professionals impacted by dementia. The research, education programmes and activities of the Institute were promoted at this event which was attended by thousands of public and professional visitors. The event was attended by several SID staff and two of our Dementia Associates, Gail and Ron Bowker (who featured in the last SID newsletter). Gail cares for her father Ron, who has dementia and they both helped co-deliver a talk at this event and were involved in running an exhibition stand. This reputationenhancing event allowed the Institute to make connections with multiple industrial partners including digital health companies, care homes and support providers, whilst helping educate the public on progress in the field of dementia research and the activities of the Institute. ‘RUNNING DOWN DEMENTIA’ CHALLENGE FOR ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCH UK/ A number of members/ supporters of the Salford Institute for Dementia have come together to run over 500km over a three month period to raise funds and awareness for Alzheimer’s Gail and Ron Bowker at the Research UK. Alzheimer’s Show, London
This fundraising initiative asks participants to run or walk 100Km each and so far the team have run 544km and raised £779.01!
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SALFORD INSTITUTE FOR DEMENTIA: Visit: www.salford.ac.uk/salfordinstitute-for-dementia Tel: 0161 295 2363 Email: dementia@salford.ac.uk @InstForDementia