We often have a tendency to be so busy that we never take a step back and take stock of what we’re actually doing, so here’s a quick update summary of the various projects, education, consultancy and other work we’ve currently got on the go. (Apologies to colleagues if I’ve missed anything out!)
In no particular order…
SCI-Dem (research project) – it’s well under way and making good progress in terms of its realist review. The first search has been done and articles are currently being reviewed and included/excluded as appropriate. The SCI-Dem blog is also up and running, providing regular project progress updates.
Namaste Care Intervention UK (research project) – we’re into the analysis and reporting phase – eek! We’re also working on the cost benefit aspect, writing journal articles, and developing the Community of Practice. Our celebration event takes place in September so we’re planning that too.
Dementia Carers Count (evaluation) – it’s almost at an end as we’re finalising our report on their Dementia Carers Support Courses – another eek! Over 100 carers have attended the DCC courses with around 80 being part of our evaluation.
Dementia Adventure in a Box (research and evaluation) – evaluation of the activity sessions continues, and delegates are becoming more confident running activities. We had a great visit to a care farm where we got to help feed the animals and Teresa got to hold a chicken (see earlier blog post for more info!). We’re looking to do more visits over the summer – if the weather ever improves!
Meeting Centres Support Programme (research and evaluation) – there has been a lot of interest from groups wanting to investigate setting up their own Meeting Centre. The evaluation tools have been developed and are almost ready to pilot, and we’re starting to deliver training. Pioneer Workshops have started taking place and more are planned over the next few months.
Housing and Dementia Research Consortium (HDRC) – the annual HDRC conference took place on 23rd May, with a focus on assistive technology for people living with dementia. For more information about HDRC please contact the HDRC Research Coordinator Dr Julie Barrett.
PhD students – our PhD students are at different stages, but all progressing well. They’re all still smiling (I think!) and hopefully some will be submitting soon – eek for them!!
Our new PG Cert and PG Award (education) – we’re developing a new Postgraduate Certificate in Person-Centred Dementia Studies and Postgraduate Award in Professional Development: Expert Practice in Delivering Person-Centred Dementia Care. The modules will be delivered online, which is exciting but slightly scary too. For more information, please contact us at dementia@worc.ac.uk
Delivering education courses – as well as a recent trip to Gibraltar, we’re also delivering education in the UK to several care home providers, housing organisations and Councils. Some of our education courses have also been linked with our first foray into e-learning which is great experience ahead of our new online modules.
Consultancy activities – we’re looking to work with a couple of flooring companies to help them understand the importance of flooring for people with dementia and how their designs and styles can have an impact. We’ve also been developing resources to help village halls become dementia friendly, and providing advice on a dementia friendly dining experience. Linking our consultancy to our education by combining site visits with bespoke training has also been working well.
University teaching (education) – we’re providing input on various courses within the University of Worcester, including delivering sessions and workshops for a student nursing conference on dementia which is taking place next week. Attending the University of Worcester’s Learning and Teaching Conference last week has also given us lots of useful contacts and ideas to follow up on.
Care Fit for VIPS website (free online resource) – all of the links within the toolkits have been checked and updated where needed, and we’ve added some new resources to help staff in care homes, domiciliary care and day centres improve the care they provide for people with dementia. We’re also looking at developing a couple of new versions for other care settings, so watch this space. (Not sure what this is? Have a look at an earlier blog post)
Environmental assessment tools (free resources) – the tools are still proving to be popular with recent downloads including Belgium, Spain, USA and Australia as well as the UK.
Anything else?
In terms of dissemination activities, several articles are in progress for different projects, past and present, including MeetingDem, Namaste, Making of Me, SCI-Dem, Admiral Nurse Competency Framework and Green Dementia Care.
We’re looking at numerous presentations at conferences and events over the coming months. Some are confirmed and some have had abstracts submitted, but they include:
- Faculty for the Psychology of Older People National Conference
- Housing LIN Midlands Region Meeting
- British Psychological Society seminar series
- British Society of Gerontology Conference
- Alzheimer’s Disease Association (Singapore)
- Royal College of Nursing International Nursing Research Conference
- Ambient Assisted Living Forum (Denmark)
- Namaste Care International
- Active Ageing Week
- Housing 21 Annual Conference
- The Care Show
- UK Dementia Congress
We’ve also got several ideas that we’re working on for bids and grants and a number of potential organisations that are interested in what we offer, so watch this space for more news in the future!
Phew, I’m tired just reading that.
Me too. If anyone wants me I’ll be having a lie down in the corner!
Association for Dementia Studies Blog 