Thriving Together Symposium

This week we hand over to Gemma Moore, one of the Association for Dementia Studies PhD students to hear about their recent experiences at a symposium. Over to you Gemma…

Hello, my name is Gemma Moore and I am currently researching how people living with dementia can experience mark making in Meeting Centres. My website can be found here and my Linked in blog here.

Recently, I was accepted to participate in the Thriving Together Symposium – A symposium discussing ideas and experiences of couple hood, arts participation, and dementia. The event was hosted at The University of Sheffield and there was about 50-100 people in attendance (online and in person over the two days).

It was such a fantastic experience because I was able to represent the Association for Dementia Studies, University of Worcester at the conference.

image showing people networking during a coffee break

When I came across the callout to submit an abstract, I was fascinated by how many ideas of the symposium were relevant to my research study which is exploring: how can people living with dementia experience mark making in Meeting Centres? I have previously completed some work already in this area, which you can learn more about here. Visual responses created from this body of work have also been exhibited widely and gained national attention including an exhibition titled Marginalised Represented (2023) which you can find out more about here.

I was able to engage with academics, artists, organisations, carers and people with lived experience of dementia who were interested in learning more about how others have approached using the arts as a successful research method, as a tool to better understand couple hood, arts participation, and dementia.

There was a wide variety of speakers from all over the world representing various creative organisations who work with people living with dementia in different capacities. One organisation I was excited by was led by Dr Katey Warren at the University of Edinburgh and the talk was titled Evaluating the arts in dementia care: What is the role of meaning-making? I found this talk particularly interesting because I am part of the research group’s 2-year co-production group, find out more about this here.

I was also able to learn more about how others have previously or plan to approach embodied research practices.

I had some interesting discussions with academics around Meeting Centres, their origin and what creative ‘activities’ are pursued in these spaces. I also referenced the importance of the original Heritage Pathfinders project that I was involved in which helped to contextualise my PhD journey and mark making.

I found the conference beneficial because not only am I learning about how other PhD students are approaching their studies and are processing their results, but also how others are adopting creative approaches to research, which is what I am interested in, as my background is in Fine Art.

In result of the conference, it has inspired me to think deeper into how the practices of music and art are interlined through the ideas of movement and gesture.

Thanks Gemma, it sounds like you had a great experience at the conference.

Connect with ADS on twitter @DementiaStudies and on Facebook @adsuow

We’re also on Instagram, Threads and LinkedIn so have a look and find us there too.

Busy times in May

It’s not like we sit around twiddling our thumbs at other times, but Dementia Action Week in May is looking particularly busy for us.

To start with, Age UK Herefordshire & Worcestershire and The Hive, Worcester are hosting a series of events and activities, and we’re part of three sessions.

On Monday 13^th May Thomas Morton will be talking about ‘Doing Things with Dementia: Exploring Support to Keep People Connected’. Dementia research in the news is nearly always about finding a cure, but just as important is how we can support the nearly 1 million people (and growing) who are living with dementia right now. While a diagnosis of dementia is life changing, people can still live full and active lives with the condition – but support in the community needs to be better. Thomas will talk about the work we do to improve this situation, including initiatives like Meeting Centres that aim to connect people to their communities and each other. He will talk about what Meeting Centres are, who can go and what people do there, as well as the wider research that the Association for Dementia Studies does – and opportunities for people to get involved!

You can attend the session for free but need to book a place here.

On Tuesday 14^th May Dr Chris Russell will be part of a ‘Behind the Cover’ session with his co-editors of the ‘Leisure and Everyday Life with Dementia’ book. The book examines leisure in the everyday lives of people living with dementia and challenges readers to consider the role of leisure activities beyond their potential for therapeutic benefit. Dr Russell leads the Postgraduate Certificate in Person-Centred Dementia Studies, is the Patient and Public Involvement Lead for the ‘Get Real with Meeting Centres’ research project, and a Dementia Knowledge Exchange Peer Reviewer with the World Health Organization. He also runs a popular ‘Championing Physical Activity for People Affected by Dementia‘ course.

Again, places for the session are free but must be booked.

Our final talk at The Hive is also on Tuesday 14th May and is looking at ‘Dementia and the physical environment: what improvements can we make?’ In this session, Teresa Atkinson will be looking at how dementia and the physical environment interact. You’ll learn about some of the symptoms of dementia and the impact these can have, before exploring how dementia friendly design can help. The session will cover the principles of dementia friendly environments, helping you to be more aware of your surroundings, before focusing on changes that can be made within the home and also within the garden. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions and get information about useful resources.

To book your free place use this link.

Our Meeting Centre family blanket will also be on display so if you haven’t seen it yet this could be a great opportunity.

If that wasn’t enough, we’re also part of the 2024 Pint of Science events in Worcester which takes place each evening from Monday 13^th to Wednesday 15^th May. Organised by the University of Worcester’s Doctoral School, the Pint of Science festival has academics providing talks on a wide variety of topics.

Thomas Morton will be presenting on 13^th May as part of a session on ‘Doing Health Research Differently’. If you missed his talk earlier in the day at The Hive, this is a second chance as he will be covering many of the same talking points. Tickets for each Pint of Science session are £5 and can be booked via their website.

Still want more? Maybe you’re not based in Worcester and are feeling a bit left out? Well, you’re in luck. On 17^th May (12 noon to 1pm), we will be hosting an online webinar that anyone can join! The webinar will be about ‘Past and Future of the Meeting Centre Support Programme in a contrasting economic context’ and we’re delighted that Sladana Pavkovic will be presenting. Sladana is from the University of Tasmania, and will delve into the Australian Meeting Centre Support Programme (MCSP), tracing its trajectory from pilot project to the establishment of two centres and subsequent challenges. She will discuss the evolving perspectives on revitalizing and adapting the MCSP model in a high-income Australian context, and the possibility to implement the program in a low-income setting such as Serbia.

Sladana is a third year PhD candidate in Dementia Studies at the Wicking Dementia Centre, University of Tasmania. Since 2020 and up to the present day, she has also taken the role of a part-time lecturer at the Wicking Centre. Since 2012 she has functioned as a “tele-care partner” and educator for her family residing in Serbia. Her primary aim has been to provide them with support and guidance in coping with her mother’s dementia. She has been involved in her care journey from the first onset of her symptoms, through the diagnostic process, active life with dementia, all the way to palliative care and her death in September 2023.

You can join the webinar using this link.

Phew! I think that’s more than enough for us to be getting on with, but who knows, we may find something extra to do that week!

Connect with ADS on twitter @DementiaStudies and on Facebook @adsuow

We’re also on Instagram, Threads and LinkedIn so have a look and find us there too.

The launch of Meeting Centres Scotland

This week we hear from Dr Shirley Evans, Director of the Association for Dementia Studies, who reflects on her trip to Dundee for the launch of Meeting Centres Scotland on the 25^th March 2024. Over to you Shirley…

A rainy Sunday was spent travelling up to Dundee from the Welsh Borders for the much anticipated launch of Meeting Centres Scotland. Such a journey involved four trains but it all worked like clockwork and the journey was super-productive. The Premier Inn at which I overnighted is located by the River Tay and only five minutes from the modern and stylish Dundee Station. The short walk involved passing the V & A Dundee and Discovery Point and RRS Discovery. What a shame I was travelling back the following day.

image showing two photos of the historic ship RRS Discovery, and the Discovery Point building which also looks like a ship

It is amazing to reflect on how Meeting Centres have developed in Scotland since an email from Graham Galloway, then of Kirrie Connections and now Chief Executive Officer of Meeting Centres Scotland, came into our inbox late one Friday evening in November 2017. Graham said that he had been reading about Meeting Centres and that it might fit in with their developments at Kirrie Connection and could he have “a wee chat please?” The rest, as they say, is history.

A short time-line involves Emeritus Professor Dawn Brooker and me travelling up to Kirriemuir for the information and planning group meeting in May 2018. This was followed by Graham and his team visiting Droitwich Spa, Leominster and Powys Meeting Centres in the August on a fact finding mission. Kirrie Connections Meeting Centre opened on the 14th May 2019 and we attended the official launch of Kirrie Connections Meeting Centre in August 2019. The evolution of Meeting Centres in Scotland is documented in our blog dated 3rd March 2022. So only two years ago but much as happened since then, not least the one Meeting Centre becoming 22 with another eight in the pipeline.

The launch of Meeting Centres Scotland was held at the Mal Masion Hotel (other hotels in Dundee are available) and was attended by around 90 people including a significant number of people affected by dementia. This evidenced the Meeting Centres Scotland policy of a third people living with dementia, a third carers and a third other interested parties/stakeholders. The purpose of Meeting Centres Scotland is to support the development and growth of dementia Meeting Centres. They believe in providing innovative and person-centred care for individuals living with dementia and their families. The organisation will serve as a central hub for resources guidance and collaboration for existing and emerging Meeting Centres. They will do this through guidance and training; networking and collaboration; advocacy and awareness and research and evaluation.

It really was a day of celebration and it was wonderful to see ‘old’ friends such as those from Striving Towards a New Day (STAND) including Ruth McCabe seen below sporting their purple uniform. STAND produce some excellent and free resources and have written and recorded an album.

Our very own Dawn Brooker, who is President of Meeting Centres Scotland, was one of the speakers in the morning session joining us online and captured much of the thinking in the room:

Meeting Centres aren’t rocket science… It’s not a lack of evidence. It a lack of funding
Professor Dawn Brooker MBE

And Dawn reminded us that Scotland is the first place, outside of the Netherlands, that has Meeting Centres embedded in their National Dementia Strategy.

image made up of three photos: one showing Ruth McCabe wearing a purple t-shirt with ‘STAND’ printed across the front, next to a table with leaflets on; one showing Dawn Brooker; one showing a pull-up banner for Meeting Centres Scotland

Jan Beattie of the Scottish Government Dementia Policy Unit spoke about timing being everything and that Meeting Centres bring something valuable, and stressed the importance of an international evidence base – that this is something really unique and brings reassurance with it.

Other speakers included: Marie Todd, Scottish Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport who joined us online; Geraldine Campbell of the Scottish Government Dementia Policy Unit speaking with Jan Beattie; Katherine Crawford Chief Executive Officer of Age Scotland speaking about the importance of partnership working; Irene Donaldson speaking about the importance of coproduction in Meeting Centres and Graham Galloway and Jim Campbell presenting on the Meeting Centres Scotland website and the online academy just before Ron Coleman’s closing remarks ahead of lunch. Ron emphasised that the principle of a third, a third, a third should not be an aspiration, it should be the reality.

It is easy to have aspirations. If we put it in place we can prove not only that it might work but that it does work
Ron Coleman

A highlight of the morning was a preview of the Meeting Centre documentary. There is more about the making of this film in our blog from last year.

In the afternoon we were treated to a brilliant workshop led by Willy Gilder – ‘My Dream Meeting Centre.’ This was a great workshop where we looked at what is core to a Meeting Centre, what would be nice to have and what is our dream. There is more about this on the Meeting Centres Scotland blog.

The event was hugely inspirational to those of us who are thinking about a Meeting Centres England ‘group’ and Graham and Ron will be speaking about their experience to interested parties from England on the 19th April 2024.

I don’t think I could put it better than Jan Beattie who earlier had said, “Meeting Centres are alive and clearly thriving.”

Thanks Shirley, it sounds like an amazing event. To keep up to date with the work of Meeting Centres Scotland you can find them on Twitter/X at @ScottishMCN. We also try to share their posts via the main Meeting Centre account @MeetingCentres

Connect with ADS on twitter @DementiaStudies and on Facebook @adsuow

We’re also on Instagram, Threads and LinkedIn so have a look and find us there too.

What happened next?

Research can be odd sometimes because you do all the work, create resources to share the findings, share them widely, and hope that they make a difference. We’re trying to change that with some of our recent projects, by finding out what people have actually done with those resources in practice. Have they actually been used? Are they helping people? Are they sat on a shelf somewhere gathering dust?

We’re not expecting to hear that something is the best thing since sliced bread, but even knowing that you shared a booklet with someone and it helped them understand something would be really useful for us. We can see that booklets are being downloaded and videos are being watched, but not what people are doing afterwards.

Basically, once our resources have been released into the wild, what happened next?

There are three sets of resources that we’re currently trying to get some feedback on, all aimed at different settings, so please take a look at the following and see if you’ve used any of them. If you have, a quick bit of feedback via the relevant link would be appreciated!!

Image showing the Get Real booklets, stills from the DemECH videos and a page from the CHARM manual.

Get Real with Meeting Centres

The Get Real project investigated the challenges that face community-based group support for people living with dementia – such as Meeting Centres – in keeping going long term. There are three booklets for different audiences and a series of short video clips available to share the findings. If you’ve used any of them, please let us know by completing this short survey.

For more information on the Get Real with Meeting Centres project or to access any of the resources, please visit the dedicated blog site.

DemECH

The DemECH project looked at various aspects of supporting people living with dementia in Extra Care Housing. As well as the original three booklets, additional videos and an infographic were developed to create a suite of resources for different audiences. Have you used them? If yes, please click the following link to complete the DemECH resources impact evaluation survey.

As a reminder, all of the DemECH resources can be found here.

CHARM

The Care Home Action Researcher-in-Residence Model (CHARM) project aimed to support collaborative research between care homes and researchers, supporting staff, visitors and residents in care homes to design and implement their own unique and meaningful research. The CHARM Framework manual was developed to help guide care homes through the research process. If you’ve used the manual and would be willing to provide some feedback on it, please complete this short survey.

You can download a copy of the CHARM Framework manual from here.

We know that these different resources won’t apply to everyone, but if you’ve used any of them we’d really appreciate you taking a few minutes to let us know if they’re making a difference or not. Thank you!

Connect with ADS on twitter @DementiaStudies and on Facebook @adsuow

We’re also on Instagram, Threads and LinkedIn so have a look and find us there too.

Get Real – impact survey

Last year we completed our ‘Get Real with Meeting Centres’ project, which was investigating the challenges that face community-based group support for people living with dementia – such as Meeting Centres – in keeping going long term.

This project has certainly informed us in our thinking about the role of such community initiatives in the dementia pathway, and in particular about how Meeting Centres in the UK can function going forward. But we also want to know what everyone else thought – i.e. those we work with and alongside.

It’s now more than 6 months since we held our big celebration event to mark the end of the Get Real project and share our results. At that event we unveiled three booklets aimed at three different audiences, as well as a series of videos on different topics, regarding what we had learnt in the project:

Booklets

Videos

Time for feedback

Now that a little time has passed, we want to ask people who have read and seen these for a little feedback on them – what they thought of them, how they used them, if they passed them on to anyone (and if so, who?), and what was most useful or less useful about them. This will help us to gauge any impact from the study and also inform how we do things in future projects.

If you came along to our ‘Get Real Celebration Event’ on July 12 last year – or if you have simply encountered these resources since – please take the time to let us know what you think by completing this short survey. We much appreciate it!

For more information on the Get Real with Meeting Centres project, please visit the dedicated blog site.

Connect with ADS on twitter @DementiaStudies and on Facebook @adsuow

We’re also on Instagram, Threads and LinkedIn so have a look and find us there too.

Meeting Centres – the international perspective

At the start of February over 20 people got together online from different countries to get an update on what’s going on with Meeting Centres across the world. The session builds on the regular fortnightly meetings that we’ve been facilitating in the UK and those taking place in Scotland, where we find it useful to keep track of who’s doing what. It provided an informal chance to catch up with each other and share experiences, challenges and ideas.

Dr Shirley Evans led the session, but we were pleased to welcome Professor Rose-Marie Dröes who developed the Meeting Centre model and was the driving force behind Meeting Centres in the Netherlands.

There was a strong UK contingent from England, Scotland and Wales, but also representatives from the Netherlands, Singapore, Italy, Poland, and Australia. As it was the first meeting there was a fairly open agenda, with ideas being shared about what it would be good to cover in future sessions. The main part of the session revolved around getting a short update from each country.

image showing attendees on a Zoom call — The international group

Scotland – Meeting Centres Scotland, an independent third sector organisation, has just been established and is now up and running. Meeting Centres feature strongly in new Scottish Dementia Strategy, and the Meeting Centre network has a good relationship with the Scottish Government. A lived experience panel was a core part of the strategy development. An implementation plan is coming soon (mid-February) and again Meeting Centres will be part of that. There are nearly 20 Meeting Centres across Scotland with a good amount of interest at both a local and national level.

Singapore – After two Meeting Centres were set up as an initial pilot there are now seven Meeting Centres with another coming soon. They are getting interest from other areas to look at setting up Meeting Centres in Dementia Friendly Communities, of which there are 17 in Singapore. Dementia Singapore has moved to helping other partners to help set up new Meeting Centres instead of running them themselves as they did with the pilot. They are using a ground-up approach, identifying the needs in the local community, so people can see the purpose of getting new Meeting Centres up and running. There was government funding for the two pilot Meeting Centres, but the other Meeting Centres are funded by individual partners as part of their existing work.

Poland – The two Meeting Centres set up as part of the initial MeetingDem project are still running. There have been challenges trying to get further Meeting Centres set up, but it is hopeful that a change in government may improve the situation and get a Polish Dementia Strategy in place. Work has been going on engaging different professionals and students at Meeting Centres to help offer a variety of activities. There has been interest from other parts of Poland but it is currently unclear what progress has been made. Hosting the Alzheimer’s Disease International conference in Krakow in April this year may help to stimulate more activity.

Australia – Two Meeting Centres had been running and working really well, but the impact of Covid and other internal issues meant that neither is currently running. They are taking a step back to plan a new approach to get things going again, hopefully in collaboration with other organisations such as Dementia Australia. Potential funding is being identified that could help to start new Meeting Centres, and the future is looking quite positive as the Meeting Centre concept has already been proved through the previous piloting work. They have found it useful to learn from other countries to know how to overcome some of the barriers that they have encountered previously.

Italy – The initial Meeting Centre from the MeetingDem project is still running, and Meeting Centres are promoted as a social intervention as part of the regional strategy in Bologna. They are planning to open a new Meeting Centre in a different part of the city later this year after being delayed by the pandemic. Elsewhere, Meeting Centres are seen more as a medical rather than social intervention. The network of Meeting Points may be a useful route to developing further Meeting Centres and is worth investigating. Work is also in progress to set up more Meeting Centres in different parts of Italy which may have their own challenges, such as being close to the border with other countries.

Wales – Five Meeting Centres have been set up in Powys with four currently in operation covering four very different towns and communities across the county. Grant funding is becoming harder to secure as Meeting Centres are no longer a ‘new project’. The Meeting Centre provider has been trying for many years to access Welsh Government funding and was only able to do so recently, due to being on the brink of closure, but not at the levels they were aiming to secure. The Welsh Government has been addressing funding issues in The Senedd and putting pressure on the local Regional Partnership Board to fund the Powys Meeting Centres. The Meeting Centre provider is leading on the Community Engagement element of the Active Listening Campaign in Powys which is feeding into the All Wales Dementia Care Pathway of Standards. Work is also underway to set up a Meeting Centre in the Neath Port Talbot area of Wales.

England – Meeting Centres have taken off after the initial two pilots started as part of the MeetingDem project, both of which are still running. There has been lots of interest from across the country, and at a regional level, such as Council funding to open nine new Meeting Centres in Worcestershire. Many Meeting Centres tend to be in small market towns although there are some in more urban areas and cities. Work is still underway to get Meeting Centres up and running in London, but there is some interest currently so that is looking promising. It was recognised that a lot of organisations struggle with funding and getting Meeting Centres running for more than one day a week, as it can be difficult to be self-sustaining and funding tends to be short-term and focused on new ideas. It was also commented that Meeting Centres need to engage with other community groups so people have something to move onto when a Meeting Centre is no longer appropriate or able to support their needs.

It was questioned whether it could be easier to access arts funding rather than social care funding, as Meeting Centres are social clubs and can often have a strong arts focus. This is an area for some Meeting Centres to explore in the future.

It was great to hear from people around the world and appreciate the spread of Meeting Centres as it can be easy to get caught up in your own area and not realise how you’re part of something amazing on a much bigger scale. We’re hoping to have another session in the summer where we’ll aim to hear from a couple of Meeting Centres in more detail. Thanks to everyone to contributing to this first international session, I think we can say that it was a success!

For those who were unable to attend the session or who would like to find out more, a recording can be found here.

Connect with Meeting Centres on twitter @MeetingCentres

Connect with ADS on twitter @DementiaStudies and on Facebook @adsuow We’re also on Instagram, Threads and LinkedIn so have a look and find us there too.

Starting a PhD

To start off 2024 we’re handing over to one of our new PhD students to introduce themselves and tell you about their studies. Here’s Gemma…

Hello! My name is Gemma Moore, I am a new PhD student at the University of Worcester. Very broadly, my PhD study is going to be investigating mark making in Meeting Centres. I am so pleased to now be a part of the Association for Dementia Studies (ADS).

I thought that I could write an introduction to my work as I am aware that I have taken an interesting route to the PhD, which I thought others might be interested in reading about.

When I was in the final year of my Fine Art BA (Hons) Degree at the Hereford College of Arts, I digitally stumbled across a PDF titled ‘Heritage Pathfinders’ on Google. I think I had only typed in Herefordshire artist opportunities when this had come up – I thought this looks interesting, I will see if I can apply. I was thinking ahead for the summer, post Degree, and probably considering what other opportunities there may be out there in my local area. I knew during my Degree that I wanted to pursue a Masters Degree (MA) afterwards, but at this stage little did I know I’d find a link to such an eye opening, rewarding and fascinating project that would hugely enrich the beginning of my academic career.

As I looked through the application form and the document outlining the brief, I couldn’t help but be really intrigued by what was written around dementia, the arts, my local town Leominster, and a curious place called the Leominster Meeting Centre. I was instantly intrigued, and I organised a call with Dr Timothy Senior, who was one of the leaders for the project. He encouraged me to apply, and I did so – that afternoon.

In my application, I thought through all the different modules that I had completed up to that date on my Degree programme. One module that sprang into my mind was one called Drawing Visual Language. From what I could remember from this module (it was the first one I completed on the BA(Hons)) the lecturer for this module was so enlightening, genuinely so interesting and had such a deep passion for contemporary mark making which she enthusiastically conveyed through her teaching and workshops.

I really enjoyed this module, and whenever I thought about it reminded me of how liberating many of its concepts, processes and practices were, and I was really keen to involve it in some way. Prior to this point, I had only ever perceived drawing to be a process whereby only a substrate, like a canvas, and a marker, like a pencil or piece of charcoal, could be involved in producing a drawing. But when I realised that suddenly drawing could be expanded to so much more including thinking, being in the air, demonstrated through objects and arrangements and materiality, I became so excited. I was liberated from the thought process that drawing means producing painstakingly ‘accurate’ representations of life which can feel so generic and irksome, which is the ritual that is unfortunately and continuously drummed into so many GCSE and A Level students. Many students at this point read art as this pursuit that only the very small few can ascertain, which irritates me when I contemplate how powerful art can be, once removed from the restrictive context of lower levels of the academic ladder.

I couldn’t believe how many links I could make to drawing, painting, mark making and dementia. In the application I also needed to reference past experiences where I had worked with older persons/people living with dementia, and for this element I referred to a series of experiences I had in relation to an award I won whilst at school.

At the time, I saw the 15 hours of community service as part of the Wigmore Gold Award as a ‘tickbox’ exercise. But when my community service led to working in the local residential care home it gave me such an invaluable experience – I spent my time talking about art and how much I enjoyed drawing and painting in my spare time (outside of school) to many of residents, which they really enjoyed. I told them all about the current school projects that I had been pursuing, and that the word I had been responding to was ‘Majestic’. I think some of the residents enjoyed their chats so much so that a couple of weeks later, it just so happened that when I went into the local hospital with my parents, I ended up bumping into one of the ladies who I had really connected with during my 15 hours at the care home. We recognised each other whilst waiting in a ward and she told my parents all about how much she had enjoyed her ‘art chats’ with me. Back then I was taken aback that she remembered to such an extent of what we talked about including every little detail of my current school projects.

It was this exchange that permeated my sense of how powerful art could be. It was also this point I suddenly realised the agency art making possessed and that the action of ‘just’ talking about art was tremendously powerful. So powerful that it characterised the experience that I had with the lady who I had met. This experience stayed with me; and it was this particular example I used in my application to participate in the Heritage Pathfinders project.

At the start of the Heritage Pathfinders project, I was simultaneously investigating in the last year of my Degree feminist performance photography, the creation of personas and time based media. The two lines of enquiry do seem very different – but conceptually, both link as they aim to deal with and represent human based issues from an altruistic perspective. It took me a while to forge the links between these two ideas. But this ultimately is the beauty of Fine Art; it can be so massively varied and diverse, but simultaneously connected through ideas and process led practice.

Whilst I finished and graduated with a First Class Degree in Fine Art and applied for a Masters Degree in Fine Art at the Birmingham School of Art, I was accepted and started to pursue the Heritage Pathfinders Artist Residency programme held at the Leominster Meeting Centre. It was a busy but such a rewarding time. I juggled starting my MA in Birmingham with trips to Leominster once a week to start off the project, beginning in September 2021 through to December 2021. I started off by just visiting the Centre and getting to know the Members at the Leominster Meeting Centre.

It was in the summer of 2022 when I presented my work and drawings made by Leominster Meeting Centre Members as part of an ADS webinar [a recording of the webinar is available in two parts, and Gemma presents in the second part]. It was held online but myself and the rest of the Heritage Pathfinders group presented live from the Tourist Information Centre in Leominster. It was at this point that the seed of thought of doing a PhD was planted.

A year later I was invited by Dr Shirley Evans to present my ideas and work at the UK Dementia Congress, which was really interesting and insightful. I made some invaluable connections who I know will help to guide and critique my ideas as the PhD journey progresses. I am so thankful for this opportunity, I am looking forward to seeing how my PhD unfolds and witnessing how many people living with dementia my research is going to help and benefit.

If you would like to discuss with me further about my research inquiry or any collaborative ideas, please do not hesitate to contact me: moog1_23@worc.ac.uk

A photo of Gemma presenting in front of a big screen — Gemma presenting at UK Dementia Congress

Thanks Gemma, great to have you as part of the ADS team and we look forward to seeing how your studies progress.

Connect with ADS on twitter @DementiaStudies and on Facebook @adsuow

We’re also venturing into Instagram and Threads, so have a look and find us there too.

Aromatherapy

This week we had over to Mel Charters from Agewell CIC, who is involved in running Meeting Centres in the Sandwell area. She’s written about her experiences of aromatherapy and its benefits. Over to you Mel…

Christmas is approaching!

And it brings with it the scents and fragrances so evocative of warmth: cakes, mulled wine, pine trees and log fires. At times of festivities and celebrations in all cultures, we share a rich history of the use of herbs, flowers resins and spices and their derivative of both for culinary, medicinal, and therapeutic properties. Fragrance has the power to evoke memories and associations, to support in creating an atmosphere of calm and relaxation, to help uplift the spirits and sharpen awareness.

With such a vast catalogue of traditional usage dating back centuries and many journals, books, and evidence available to use on the use of traditional ‘complementary therapies’ including Aromatherapy, I would advise anyone interested in the subject to access some of the links within this article.

As a definition for this article, the word ‘Aromatherapy’ relates to the use of oils derived from plant-based resins, herbs, spice, and flowers by various means of extraction (steam distillation, pressed for example) yielding an Essential Oil which can then be used therapeutically for environmental fragrance, massage, compresses, inhalation and skin care.

As an Aromatherapist and Holistic Practitioner I have worked with essential oils within one-to-one therapy sessions, workshops, and adult learning environments. I was fortunate to be part of Living Well in Sandwell some years ago, offering Aromatherapy, Mindfulness, and access to Light boxes as part of a three-year Lottery Funded Project, working with people from 6 months to 90 plus! Many people presented with symptoms of stress, manifesting both physically and mentally and achieved good outcomes which we recorded via quantitative and qualitative measures.

Over the years I have witnessed first-hand the positive outcomes of using oils therapeutically and, importantly, supporting people to gain more autonomy over their wellbeing. Some of the most popular oils I have used have been Neroli, Lavender, Black Pepper, and Patchouli. There is an oil called Vetivert (‘the oil of tranquillity’) which has great qualities and is very widely used in the fragrance industry, but it is rather powerful and earthy. Definitely a ‘Marmite’ oil and less is definitely more!

This serves to illustrate that fragrance is very individual, and that responses can be determined by personal preferences but also a particular association.

The use of fragrance on cognition and mood can help support people who may be anxious, agitated or have difficulty sleeping for example. A familiar and welcome fragrance, can help restore equilibrium, working on many levels physiologically, the components of the oils having very specific properties which for example can impact the nervous, digestive, and respiratory systems.

More recently I delivered a small workshop to our members at our two Meeting Centres where we shared oils and some spices which people had to identify and also share what feeling or memories the fragrances provoked. The groups consisted of people living with dementia and carers. The sessions were well received and promoted a lot of discussion around self-care, family memories and traditional remedies including camphor packs, menthol crystal inhalations and clove oil for toothache!

A gentleman with vascular dementia queried whether his diagnosis might affect his sense of smell and fragrance recognition. Orange oil went down very well that day! I think we all needed a lift and a bit of cheer!

By introducing this topic, we can support people by means of therapeutic intervention, whether it be via an interactive workshop, hands on Taster sessions or to help inform and enable their own interest or self-study, to use at home.

On to some Top Tips!

Purchase from reputable suppliers (oils can be adulterated with a cheaper oil). Follow advice on how to use and store correctly (oils are very concentrated and can be harmful if not use correctly).

Permissions are very important around safe touch e.g., hand/shoulder massage. Checking for allergies or aversions to particular fragrances, are part of good practice if introducing into the environment.

Follow your nose!! If an oil calls your name, it may be that you need the particular benefit on any given day! E.g., Orange Oil is good for low mood, Peppermint Oil can help revive when we are flagging, Neroli for stress management, Frankincense to support meditation and the respiratory system.

Research/Evidence Base

Anyone familiar with research methodologies will understand the barriers that can be faced within the area of Complementary Therapies in terms of acceptability of data outside of a clinical context and the limitations within the funding landscape. There is a huge amount of anecdotal evidence of traditional usages and within our current Health Service we offer therapies as part of Oncology Support for example. The Christie Hospital in Manchester has a long history of offering Complementary Therapies to patients as well as contributing to research, development, and training practitioners.

Outcomes are unique to each individual in terms of their response, and other factors influencing the outcomes include the holistic framework of the intervention and the starting point of the individual.

I have listed more scholarly articles available on Pubmed and some sites specifically around Aromatherapy, in addition to information on Getwell UK which was a UK government-funded trial project delivering Complementary Therapy interventions within the community and with the co-operation of GPs in Northern Ireland.

Ok well let’s get cracking on those orange pomanders for Christmas!

For those not familiar, these are oranges studded with cloves and then decorated and dried. They originate from the Elizabethan period when they were carried by the rich to offset the impact of unwashed bodies beneath the finery!

They provide a fabulous warm spices citrus fragrance, and as a bonus clove oil is a powerful anti-bacterial and anti-microbial and the activity itself can be great for groups (bit hard on the thumbs though pressing the cloves in…we are ordering some thumb protectors!)

Thanks for sharing this with us Mel. I don’t know about anyone else but I can practically smell the oranges!

Connect with ADS on twitter @DementiaStudies and on Facebook @adsuow

We’re also venturing into Instagram and Threads, so have a look and find us there too.

A bumper year for the Hennell Award!

The Hennell Award for Innovation and Excellence in Dementia Care was launched in memory of the late Brian Hennell at the ADS 5th birthday celebration event on 14th May 2014. His wife June has acted as an ambassador for this award, which recognises people who have made a significant contribution to promoting person-centred care.

The award is to celebrate the achievements of an individual or team who have shown their ability to implement positive change for people living with dementia. It is open to anyone who has attended a course facilitated by the Association for Dementia Studies (ADS).

It was a great pleasure recently to make the award for 2022/23 to the Alive Meeting Centre team, who run Meeting Centres for people living with dementia and family and friends in and around the Bristol area. The judging panel had been especially impressed by the innovative and excellent standard of the work described in the application, and the high quality of evidence offered in support. Evidence was provided demonstrating how barriers were overcome using a range of means, including energised and imaginative leadership. There was a clear link between the learning gained via education provided by ADS and outcomes for people affected by dementia.

Continue reading →

UK Dementia Congress 2023

A few years ago we wrote a blog about being at UK Dementia Congress (UKDC) from the start to the finish, and this year’s event in Birmingham was similar in that we were presenting from the opening address to the final session. Here’s a brief overview of what we got up to. We didn’t manage to get photos of everything, but hopefully you’ll get a flavour of the event. If you would like more information about any of our presentations or projects, please feel free to get in touch with us on social media or by email (dementia@worc.ac.uk). You can also find our more about our presenters by clicking on their names to go to their staff profiles on our website.

To kick things off, Dr Shirley Evans made the opening address of UKDC, saying how proud the Association for Dementia Studies (ADS) was to be Academic Partner of the event and giving some of our highlights from the past year. She then introduced two of our PhD students who talked briefly about their studies:

Exploring stigma towards people living with dementia in Extra Care Housing – John Bosco Tumuhairwe
Exploring re-partnered couples affected by dementia – Jen Edgecombe

photo of Shirley standing at a lectern with her slides displayed on a screen next to her — Shirley welcoming people to UKDC

Continue reading →