People in the UK, with and without dementia, are invited to take part in a major international research study to explore how Everyday Technologies, from the simple kettle to self-service check-outs and ATMs, impact daily life. The study launched 16th May 2017 coinciding with Dementia Awareness Week and offers people aged 55+ the opportunity to get involved with dementia research until December 2017.
The studies are planned to give people the chance to tell their stories about how they use technology in their day-to-day lives, both at home and out-and-about. Successes, niggles and frustrations – this is research about ordinary life.
By finding out more directly from UK communities, more can be understood about how to make places dementia friendly. Recent studies published by Anna Brorsson and colleagues are showing that this is possible. Stories of people living with dementia are helping to revolutionise grocery shops in Sweden and making the experience easier for everyone.
Occupational therapist researchers, Sarah Wallcook from Cumbria and Sophie Gaber from London, are delivering this study with the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm.
Sarah said:“New technologies keep appearing in our lives and it’s often making life easier. But that’s not the same for everyone. We want to know how people manage to use these everyday items. Does it help or hinder them from living life the way they want to?
Sophie continued: By getting involved in research, people with and without dementia can unite and support one another. The Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia set out for England to be the international centre of dementia research and the best place in the world for people with dementia, their families and caregivers to live by 2020.”
University College London, Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and the North East London NHS Foundation Trust are key partners in the research, which forms part of the Interdisciplinary Network for Dementia Using Current Technology (INDUCT), as part of the Marie Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN) action, H2020-MSCA-ITN2015, under grant agreement number 676265.
The researchers are looking for people with and without dementia aged 55+, living in London and Cumbria to take part in the studies. They will be using interview tools that are tried and tested by previous participants to explore the topic in more detail. The interviews are planned to take place in the participants’ own home over a maximum of 3 occasions, but can be at another location as preferred.
To register an interest please contact:
Sarah Wallcook on 07860 103 150 ([email protected])
Sophie Gaber on 0791260769 ([email protected])
Or visit Join Dementia Research: (www.joindementiaresearch.nihr.ac.uk, 0300 111 5 111) who will then be able to pass on contact details.
As training manager of INDUCT, I am responsible for the overall coordination and organization of the individual and network-wide training of our 15 ESRs. My main task is the organization of five INDUCT Summer and Winter Schools. Together with the local and management team, we identify needs and interests among the ESRs, compose a varied program for the week including training sessions, project meetings and social and networking events, invite academic and non-academic expert speakers, organize practical matters, and afterwards we evaluate the event, write a report, and try to incorporate all suggestions in our future training events.